Feral
by MadManMatt64
Summary: Sequel to Aborted From Time. I wanted to make a darker story, so here is my experiment. Chapter 12 is up! The Prologue has come to pass... Review Please!
1. Chapter 1

Feral

Prologue

Aeris's POV

Oh, my head. I can't believe that that guy knocked me out even though he could have just taken me here, but I guess since I would have been kicking and screaming all the way here, I think I can see why he did that. I slowly open my eyes to see that I'm strapped to a table, and that there is a bright light right above me. I turn my head to the right and see that Leo has been strapped to another table next to me. His eyes weren't open but he was still breathing, so I knew he was alive. If he died I don't know what I would do.

Out of nowhere I heard a door open, and a few seconds later, I saw (someone who will be known at a later time) standing over Leo with a large needle. He was talking into a recorder about something, but I couldn't hear him because I was still disoriented. He then, to my horror, stuck the needle into Leo's arm. As soon as he pressed down on the plunger I could see Leo's face contort with pain, and the scream, oh my God the scream. He screamed so loud, I felt like I was going to die. Then he stopped. The shakes stopped too, and his head rolled on its side in my direction. It was then I noticed he stopped breathing. I looked at (someone who will be known at a later time) and back to Leo. The mix of anger, hatred, fear, and sadness wasn't unfamiliar to me, but this was ten times as strong as before. I hated that man, "YOU SON OF A BITCH! I'LL KILL YOU, I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!".

I struggled against the table, but it was no use. I kept on shouting, but it got quieter, "I'LL KILL YOU! I'll kill you! I'll kill you. I'll... *sob* *sob*.".

I started to cry. Leo was dead, and that man killed him. I wanted him dead but I could do nothing. He walked over to me and said, "Shh, I know, I know. You loved him, but you must understand, you were the best possible candidates for this experiment. The pain will be gone soon though, as I will give you the same thing I gave him."

I hated that man, and I hated that slimy voice that he had, but I couldn't fight back, so I just laid there, waiting for that needle. He smirked, "What's this? Not fighting back? Well you just made things much easier for me Ms. Cole."

He then stuck another needle into my arm and pressed down on the plunger. I immediately felt pain rush up my arm. It worked its way up until...

...

...

...

...

**Well what do you think? Was this too dark? Do you think that this will be a good sequel to Aborted From Time? Well, I guess I won't know until you tell me. Review please! **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1: Of Love and Serial Killers

Six days before prologue, night of the day Aborted From Time ended.

Pantsman's POV

I stood atop the rooftop of some bank in Toronto, don't ask me which one because I don't care enough to tell you. Looking up, I saw the Pants Signal above the police station, no doubt set off by the local police commissioner who needed me to take care of something. I jumped from building to building until I reached the station. When I got there I saw the commissioner wasn't looking at me, so I got his attention by saying, "You called commissioner?".

He sighed and said in a snarky tone, "Yeah, like five hours ago. Where were you?".

I decided to reply truthfully, "Slept in.".

He turned around and raised an eyebrow, "Until eight P.M.?".

It was my turn to sigh as I said, "Don't judge me.".

He was scratching the back of his head now, "I'm not a commissioner anymore either. They bumped me down when I hit on the mayor's daughter.", I gave him a confused look, or as confused as I could look behind a pants mask. He must have understood my expression as he clarified, "With my car.".

I flinched a little in sympathy and said, "Ouch.".

He nodded, "Remember the steps now, one day at a time.", He changed his tone a little, "Anyway. Kruglor's up to something down at the docks and we need you to check it out.".

Okay, this has got to stop. I mean come on, can't they take care of this themselves? I scoffed, "Hey, here's an idea. Instead of wasting my time, why don't you act like police and police things? I got hobbies you know. Hobbies with needs."

He gave me a "are you serious" look before saying, "Super villains are for super heroes. We solve the real crimes. You know like murderers and rapists.", he reached into his pocket, "Like the 'Turncoat Slasher'.".

Okay, what could be so bad that he's showing me a picture of the- OH MY GOD! He started talking again, "Here's a picture of his latest victim. Turns them completely inside-out. That's not all oh no.", at least he turned the picture away from me, I mean what could be worse than that? "See those holes, those are _love _holes. He cut them himself and well...".

"I'M GOING! I'M GOING!", I yelled at the top of my lungs, flying off of the building as fast as I could. Dear Lord, that was the most disgusting picture I've ever seen, I mean just... ewwww. I shook my head of that picture and focused on getting to the docks to take care of the evil Dr. Van Kruglor, who is really just my friend Krug in a disguise. He thinks that he fools me and I roll along with it. Besides, he's not very good at what he does. I'm still not sure what he was thinking when he made those self-catching robots. I noticed that I'm passing my friend's Leo's and Aeris's apartment and take a quick glace through Aeris's bedroom window when I saw something that made me stop mid-flight, turn around, and look through that window one more time.

Aeris was in there of course, sound asleep. Yet I couldn't help but notice that she was cuddling with someone. I, of course wouldn't have cared if it weren't for the fact that the person she was cuddling with was in fact the person I least expected to be there, Leo. I never actually thought I would see the day when this happened. If they weren't asleep I would probably have made an 'end of the universe joke', but I guess that will have to wait later. Then it hit me. I may not look it, but I'm a sucker for gossip, and I think I just found the proverbial jackpot. I smirked as I flew to the docks and in turn, tell Krug about everything I saw.

General POV

As Pantsman flew away, he failed to notice someone on the ground below him. The person was not a normal person, no he was far worse. He was a serial killer. Dressed in ragged clothing and wearing a rabbit shaped mask, he carried two metal meat-hooks in his hands for two reasons: to cut open his victims, and to scale large walls. He saw Pantsman in front of the window, and curiosity overtook him as he wondered what the super hero was looking at. When Pantsman left, the killer climbed up the wall to the window that Pantsman was looking through, and grinned in malicious delight. He saw the two new lovers, laying there, both of them wrapped in each others arms. He wanted to burst through that window and kill them both, but he had an obligation to his employer to tell him of all potential candidates. He climbed back down the wall and ran off into the night to where his boss was hiding.

Pantsman's POV

Here I am at the docks. It almost wants to make me pine for the red-light district. This place smells totally rancid, almost like burnt sea... Krug. Following the stench of sizzling fish, I eventually find Krug on a balcony, laughing evilly, "Hello Panty-head Man! You probably wondering why I in big smelly fish getting place. Well, the reason is-"

"Hey Krug!", I shouted, "I don't have time for this! Just come down here so I can talk to you for a minute!"

Krug looked at me in a sad way, "How you find out it me Pantsman? I thought I fool you."

I wave his sadness off, "Yeah, yeah whatever. Anyway, you'll never guess what I just found out."

Krug scratched his head, his sadness completely forgotten, "Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is going to have Mega Man?"

I shook my head annoyed, "No! I flew by Leo and Aeris's apartment and I saw them sleeping together!"

Krug raised an eyebrow, "Pink mean thing and gray stupid thing having sex? Krug find that hard to believe."

I sighed angrily, "No! I meant that they were literally sleeping together!"

Krug still had his eyebrow raised, "Krug still find that hard to believe."

I flew up to Krug and grabbed him, "C'mon, I'll show ya."

5 minutes later

This is the worst idea I have ever had. _Ever_. The only reason I've lasted this long is because of my super strength, but I underestimated how heavy Krug was. We aren't even halfway over to their building yet! At this rate we won't get there until morning and by that time, they'll both be up and Krug will never believe me. Wait, what do I care if Krug doesn't believe me, I can still make the both of them squirm. Okay this is getting to be too much. I lower Krug down to the sidewalk and gasp in relief, saying, "Good God Krug! How the hell did you get so heavy?"

He smiled, "That simple. Krug had steady diet of veal, big red fat man, and chocolate milk for five years. Krug then got very heavy."

Alright that explains it. I breath heavily for a bit before saying, "We're walking the rest of the way, I don't think I can carry you for the rest of the way."

Krug grinned, "That okay, we going slow anyway. It don't matter, Krug will carry you rest of the way."

"Wait wha-", I couldn't finish because Krug picked me up, threw me over his shoulder and ran super fast toward the building where Leo and Aeris lived. How fast were you going you may ask? Well lets just say that even Flash would cream his pants over this. When we did get there, I was disoriented, sick, and all around dizzy. I shook my head and climbed down off of Krug. Now I realized that we have another problem: how the hell am I going to get Krug up there? I can't fly him up there, my arms will get pulled off. Then I noticed that there were some holes in the wall the lead up coincidentally up to their apartment. I pointed this out to Krug and he said, "That is perfect for Krug to climb up."

Before I could question how he could possibly climb up such small footholds, he was climbing up the wall like freaking Spider-Man. I follow him up by flying close by. When we got to the window, I smiled in triumph, and Krug had his mouth open in amazement. While I was getting Krug, they moved around in a bit more 'compromising' position. Instead of just holding on to each other, Aeris now had her back to Leo, while he was spooning her, both of them smiling goofy smiles. I laugh a little and look at Krug, who was now sniggering at the situation, now accepting what was in front of him. I whisper, "I'm gonna take their picture."

Krug looked at me, "How? Krug pretty sure he don't have a camera."

I smirked, "Well I do. I keep this thing with me to take pictures of villains I defeat."

Krug looked at me questioningly, "How come you never take picture of Krug?"

I gave a small chuckle, "I don't take pictures of you because I know you. What's the point in taking a picture of someone if your going to see them the day after just as bruised and battered the day before?"

The conversation ended there as I took my camera out of a pocket in my scarf. I turn it on, make sure the flash is off and start taking the greatest thing I could possibly hold over their heads, when I head a gasp and the words that I did not want to hear, "OHHHH. MYYEEEE. GAAWWWD."

I turn around to see the worst cop on the Toronto Police Department, Mr. Schwartzen-Cop. He pulled his gun out and shouted at us, "HOLD IT RIGHT THERE PUNKS! DON'T FUCKIN' MOVE! DON'T FUCKIN' MOVE!"

I sigh. I hate this guy. Out of all the cops in the force, he is the only one to think I'm a menace to society, when I'm really only a menace to other super heroes. He doesn't really like Krug either, even thought they never met before. Come to think of it, I really don't think he likes anybody. He started shouting again, "GET DOWN HERE YOU TWO! YOU'RE UNDER ARREST FOR INVASION OF PRIVACY YOU DIRTBAGS!" (A/N Somewhere in the universe, a man named Grif is getting punched by a robot. If you get the reference, please say in a review)

I turn to Krug, "Go, just go!"

Krug let go of his footholds and dropped down to the ground, creating a shock wave and knocked Schwartzen-Cop off balance. I flew down next to Krug and we ran as fast as we could away from the insane cop, who was shooting at us all the while.

Aeris's POV

I woke up with a bit of a start. I heard something that sounded like shouting and gunshots. I was about to sit up to look out my window when I became aware of the arm that was on my body. It was then I remembered everything that's happened this last day. I smile and turn around, facing Leo, who was smiling his stupid smile. God I love this ass. I wiggle a little bit closer to him and rested my head under his chin and placed my hands on his chest, his steady heartbeat calming me down after that small scare I had. I slowly close my eyes. I feel a smile crease my lips as I fell gently into sleep.

General POV

While all of this is going on, the serial killer opened up a manhole and climbed down the ladder leading down into the sewer. This place felt familiar to him. The rank smell, the confined halls, and the wet floor made him feel at home. He was just glad that none of those_ things_ were here, or else it would really be home. He kept going straight until he saw a light from a small lantern. Feeling around on the wall, he felt a slight notch where a small switch was. He pressed the button and a door opened up, revealing a well lit laboratory where a short man with his back turned toward the killer was mixing chemicals together, mostly with a red-gold mixture. The killer started talking in a gravelly, yet refined voice, "Sir, I think I may have found your perfect test subjects."

The man answered him in a slimy Chinese accent, "That was what you said about the last eight subjects."

The killer sounded a little desperate, "Yes sir, but these ones are different. They're animals sir, anthropomorphic ones."

The man put down the chemicals and appeared to scratch his chin, "Hmm. Maybe my mixture will be more effective on animals than people. I have not considered that possibility."

The killer looked happy, "Would you like me to go get them sir?"

The man shouted, "No! I still need to complete another mixture of the lot. I need at least five days to finish it, and I don't want to have to take care of two prisoners until then."

The killer nodded and licked his lips, "Sir, if you don't mind my asking..."

The man interrupted him, "You will get your reward when you bring them in. Until then get some rest."

The killer nodded again and then went into an adjacent room with no furnishings, save for two gurneys. He then set himself down on the floor and went to sleep, dreaming of his reward.

**Well, What do you think? Who are these two strangers? What are their motivations? Where did they come from? All in due time readers. Until then, Read and Review!**

**(December 1, 2011) Editing this fic before I really start to continuing the story. Fix a punctuation, and added a few words. When the edit is finished, my full force will be focused on Feral. I've already started the next chapter, but I can't bring myself to complete it until I edit this. Hope you don't mind. Review Please!  
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	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2: New Relationship, New Problems

5 days until Prologue

Aeris's POV

I wake with a yawn. Immediately I notice that Leo had woken up and left my room, much to my disappointment. Just as soon as I'm about to get up though, a wonderful smell wafted through the air. I follow the beautiful scent into the kitchen to see Leo was actually cooking breakfast. My first thought was '_Since when could Leo cook?_', but that thought process was interrupted when I saw that Leo was making my favorite breakfast: french toast, bacon, and some scrambled eggs with cheese. What, just because I'm a girl it doesn't mean I have to eat healthy all the time. He set all of that onto one plate and put it on my spot on the counter. You know, you would think that he would've noticed me by now, but I guess you can't change idiocy. His back was still turned to me as he went over to the coffee machine and filled a mug with the black liquid. Surprisingly, he didn't even seem to think about peeing in it, and just put it at my spot. It was about now that I decided to make my presence known. I sneaked up behind him and wrapped my arms around him.

He turned around and hugged me back saying, "Well look who's up? Didn't think I'd see you until I woke you up."

"How could I not wake up with these great smells?", I replied, "By the way, since when could you cook?"

He pulled out of the hug and smiled, "Well, my mom probably figured that I would live alone for most of my life so she taught me how to take care of myself. I just never used my skills because, why do all this when I could just toast some toast?"

I sigh and shook my head. I love him, but that doesn't mean I have to put up with his idiocy, "Leo, there was so much wrong with those last two sentences I don't know where to start. First of all, I highly doubt that your mom would have that little faith in you, after all now you have a woman in your life who actually cares about you, rather than just beats you to a pulp whenever she loses her temper. Secondly, if you could make such amazing things, why would you rather just make easy meals? Finally, you don't toast toast, you toast bread."

He scratched his chin in thought, "I never really thought about it that way before."

I smirk and lightly punch his arm, "You never really think period."

He had on a smug look like the one he used last night, "Speaking of which, was that yesterday, because if it was, I don't think Caspar did anything at all."

I ignore him and let out a small laugh. I sat down at my place and ate possibly the best breakfast I've ever had. The french toast was just syrupy enough not to go overboard, the bacon was nice and crunchy, and those eggs were cooked to perfection. That and the cheese made it ten times as delicious. He sat down next to me after a while and started eating too. We didn't talk for a few minutes until Leo said, "Y'know, I wonder what our friends will think about this."

"You mean your friends.", I corrected, "You know I think that they're all a bunch of freaks and idiots."

"Come on, they're not that bad.", Leo defended.

"Oh really?", I said, "Your friends include a superhero that barely does his job, a demon that was kicked out of hell because he was too nice, a Galka that has an obsession with trading card games, and a deranged hobo that thinks he has a PhD. Those aren't really normal friends Leo."

Leo sighed, "That's not the point! I was just asking you what our-", I gave him a look, "Okay, _my_ friends would think when they find out that we're an item now."

I shrugged, "Well I wouldn't worry too much about it. They'll probably just laugh about it for a while and eventually they'll except it.", I start drinking my coffee, but then another thought came to mind. Who other then his friends are we going to have to eventually tell. I start gagging at this, Leo responding with a concerned, "Are you okay Aeris?"

After the coughing subsided I said almost in a yell, "Leo, my parents!"

He raised his eyebrow, "What about them?"

I stood up and proceeded to panic, "Leo, my parents hate you! Ever since we became friends they hated you! What I'm I going to do, what am I going to tell them! I don't think that "Hi mom and dad, I just got together with the one person that you don't want me to have a relationship with! Isn't that grand!' is going to work very well with them Leo!"

It was just then that I felt Leo slap my cheek.

Leo's POV

I'm probably getting reprimanded later for that, but Aeris really needed to calm down. After I slapped her she stopped talking like an idiot. She then said, "Thanks Leo, I needed that."

I sit her back down on her stool and ask her, "Aeris, what do you mean your parents hate me? I thought they loved me?"

She looked away, "Well, they don't really hate you, but they would hate you if they knew about this."

"Why's that?", I asked.

She continued, "My parents, my dad in particular, are kind of overbearing. They didn't mind when we became friends, they just don't think you would be a good person for me to be with."

"How come?"

"Well," she began, "they both think that your too much of an idiot to be able to take care of me."

I sigh, "I know, I know. Everybody thinks I'm an idiot, stop the fucking presses. Tell me something I don't know."

She laughed a little at my statement and continued, "They also think that your a pervert."

I gulped a little bit and looked down the hall into my bedroom, where under my bed I could see the spine of my new issue of _PlayCat_. I gave a fake laugh and said, "Th-Thats stupid. I'm not a pervert."

She gave me a look, "Leo, I've seen them before and you should be very ashamed of yourself."

I looked down and whispered, "I get lonely sometimes."

She rolled her eyes and started talking again, "Lastly, they think your too video game obsessed."

I scoffed, "What! Your video game obsessed too!

"That's what I told them,", she said, "but they said, 'At least you don't reference them every opportunity you get'."

I replied angrily, "Okay, that is so not true."

She sighed and went over to the refrigerator. Before I could ask her what she was doing, she opened the door and took out some leftover cake from her birthday a few days ago. I automatically responded to this by saying, "The cake is a lie.", I looked back to Aeris to see a expression that screamed 'yeah, sure', in a very sarcastic way. I gave her a sheepish smile, "I think I see what they mean."

She put the cake back into the fridge and walked over to me, "Look, what I'm getting at is that my parents aren't going to roll in the welcome wagon for you when I tell them that we have something going on now."

I thought about that for a moment, "We don't have to tell them now."

"You don't think I don't know that?", she asked, "I was about to say that we should tell them after about a few months, y'know to see if this works out or not."

"Yeah.", I said. My thoughts drifted until I thought of something interesting, "Hey Aeris, don't you think its weird how your dad and my dad are pretty much polar opposites?"

"How so?", she replied.

I took a breath before saying, "Well, your dad would hate it if we got together, my dad would absolutely love it. Your dad is overbearing and mine just let me do what I wanted. Weird huh?"

She rolled her eyes, "Weird to you maybe. Your dad wasn't in the army."

I suddenly feel a little bit of fear at this, "Your dad was in the army?"

"Yeah,", she said, "how else could I ever kick ass as efficiently as I have? Didn't I ever tell you that?"

"Um,", I began, "I don't think you've ever mentioned that before, no."

She sighed again, "Your scared of him now aren't you?"

I gave her a humorless chuckle and said, "Aeris, your dad was in the army. What he taught you was probably only a fraction of what he learned there, so naturally, I have the right to be a _little _scared."

She put her paw to her face, "Leo, you met my dad before and you know he's a good guy. He would never hurt you."

I nodded, "Yeah I know, but that was before I became your boyfriend, and I knew he was in the army. You're his _daughter _Aeris! It's pretty much a scientific fact that every father has a deep emotional attachment to his daughter and will do anything in their power to get them out of relationships! Haven't you ever seen Father of the Bride!"

She gave me an 'are you serious' look before saying, "Leo, you do know that's a movie right? And not only that but it's a comedy, something that is not meant to be taken seriously?"

I shrugged, "Well, you say potato and I say possibly the greatest scientific documentary of all time."

General POV

While all this is going on, Pantsman and Krug are standing outside the apartment door, just about to ring the doorbell. Pantsman was smirking and Krug was just... well, being Krug. Krug tapped on Pantsman's shoulder, "Uh, Pantsman, tell Krug what plan is again?"

Pantsman sighed in annoyance, "Alright Krug, but this is the last time. I knock on the door, they come to get us, we go inside, and then we make them squirm when we drop hints that make them think we know, and then we show them this.", he held out the picture, "We then proceed to blackmail them for all their worth."

Krug scratched his chin, "Blackmail with what? It not like they don't want people to know, right?"

Pantsman's smirk diminished and realized that Krug was right. If they didn't mind people knowing, then what would they blackmail them with! Not only that, but they wouldn't be able to watch them get increasingly more uncomfortable either! Pantsman shrugged, "I guess we won't know until we find out."

"By the way,", Krug began to ask, "Why you want to blackmail gray stupid thing and pink mean thing?"

Pantsman turned to Krug and shouted, "Dammit Krug, do you have to ruin my fun!"

Aeris's POV

God I hate it when people yell in the hallways, its just rude. So after that idiotic statement from Leo, I sit back down at my spot on the counter and continue to eat my halfway complete breakfast. After a while he started talking again, "Aeris, we've been spending so much time on your parents we forgot to talk about mine."

I shrug, "What's there to say? Your parents love me, end of story."

He continued, "I know, but you know my parents can be weird. I mean, my dad is humungous perv, and my mom has always has that weird look on her face whenever she looks at you."

I turn around on my stool to face Leo, "Can't really explain that first one, but let me say this about your mom; if you saw two pink cats that looked and sounded exactly the same, one who came to kill your unborn child and the other to save it, only to see your son be best friends with a pink cat that looks exactly the same as those two cats from earlier, wouldn't you probably look at me weird?"

I never got a response as I heard knocking on our door. Since Leo was up, he was the one who opened it and saw whoever it was at the door first. I got up to see who it was and saw that it was Scott (though he preferred to be called Pantsman) and Krug. Scott started talking, "Hi guys. Can we come in?"

Leo invited them inside and they sat down at our counter, looking casual. They're up to something. I asked them, "What are you two doing anyway?"

Scott smiled the worst looking fake smile I have ever seen in my life and said, "Can't we just come by for a social call every now and again?"

I was about to say something but Krug cut me off, "Where do you keep spoons?"

I gave him an incredulous look. Suddenly Scott started talking stupidly too, "You know where I keep my spoons? In my bedroom. I love them so much that sometimes I put my arm around them when I sleep."

I look at Leo and I think his expression mirrors mine quite nicely: a look that screamed 'what the fuck'. Are these two brain damaged or something? Wait, don't answer that, I know they are. Wait a minute, spoons, bedroom, sleep? Urgh. I look back to the two of them, "You know we're in a relationship now, don't you?"

Scott's expression seemed to falter for a moment but that didn't stop him from talking, "Yes actually. Me and Krug saw you sleeping in the same bed together, spooning no less. We even took this picture of you, see?"

He pulled a picture out of his scarf pocket and handed it to me. Well, they were right about the spooning thing. I never realized how cute Leo and I look together until I saw this picture. I put on a small smile and say, "So what is this, blackmail?"

Scott nodded, "Yeah, that's right."

"Alright,", I said in response, "what do you want?"

Scott scoffed, "What do I want? What do I want? I want...", he paused for a while, "I don't know what I want."

I gave a satisfied nod, "That's what I thought. You were never very good at planning things, were you Scott? By the way, when you blackmailing someone,", I ripped the photo in half, "It's never a good idea,", quarters, "to give the thing that your holding over a person's head,", eighths, "to the person your blackmailing.", and with that I threw the pieces into the air.

Scott just watched the falling pieces wide-eyed, his whole hair-brained scheme came crumbling down around him. Meanwhile I noticed that Krug had stopped paying attention to the whole thing and started eating Leo's breakfast. Well it least it wasn't mine. I turned to Leo, "Leo, would you kindly escort these two out?"

Leo grinned stupidly, "Sure thing Ms. Fontaine!"

I sigh and pinch the top of my nose. Honestly, I wasn't even thinking of BioShock when I said that. I guess we'll just have fix that a little so that I can make him more presentable to my parents, and maybe then they won't have a heart attack. So anyway, Leo took his poor excuses for friends outside and came back with an expecting grin. I sigh, "Okay, what is it?"

I could swear that his grin grew bigger when he said, "Well, considering I kicked those two out for you, shouldn't I get a little reward?"

I shrugged inwardly. Eh, what the hell, I'm in the mood for a kiss too.

General POV

Aeris came closer with a sly smile and hugged the gray cat in a way that for some reason made him melt. He could only stare into her eyes as she looked at him. They leaned in closer to each other and felt their lips colliding and the surge of electricity flowing through their bodies. Everything felt right with the world and to them, it was the most pleasurable thing they could do to each other until... well you know. The both of them thought of how odd it was that something as simple as pressing your mouth to another's could possible give them this much joy, but neither one of them liked to look a gift horse in the mouth. When they finished the fur on their cheeks seemed to gain a pink twinge. There was a bit of an appreciative silence before Leo said, "So... now what happens?"

Aeris thought for a moment and then she put on another sly look, "I thought of something we could do."

"What did you have in mind?", Leo asked, a grin now on his face.

She leaned in closer to him, "Well, I was thinking we could go into your bedroom."

"Uh-huh.", Leo said, with a bigger grin and his voice a quarter of an octave higher.

Aeris's voice became more seductive as she leaned in closer, "Then you could lie down on the floor."

"Uh-huh,", he said, grin bigger and voice higher. Of course, he normally would've questioned why she chose the floor for this activity, but he was thinking with the wrong head right now, but can you really blame him?

"And then do you know what we're going to do?", she asked him her mouth right next to his ear, her hot breath tickling it.

"Uh-huh.", grin covering half his face and voice at a soprano.

"Good.", Aeris said, reverting to her normal voice and backing away from Leo, "For a minute there I was worried that I would have to spell it out for you."

"What?", Leo said now thoroughly confused.

Aeris got a good laugh, "Really Leo? Did you really think I would give you head this early? If we were snowed in maybe, but we aren't so put your gun away before you embarrass the both of us."

Leo sighed, "Then what were you saying when you said all of that?"

She started to calm down as she said, "I was talking about you getting all of those pornos out from under your bed, look them all up on the internet and see if their worth anything."

"But Aeris, that'll take work!", Leo whined.

She looked at him with a sarcastic smile and said, "I know Leo. Welcome to the real world, glad you could make it."

Meanwhile in the sewers of Toronto, the Chinese scientist is mixing his chemicals together, thinking to himself. He puts his mixtures down and sighs. He needs to get his thoughts out of his mind so he could work properly. Spying a nearby audio recorder on his counter, he picked it up, turned it on, and spoke his mind, "Charles just found me two new candidates for my commission yesterday. Said that they were anthropomorphic animals, something which I have not tried to experiment on before. Although, due to past results of other subjects, I hold little faith in those two surviving through the night, let alone injection process. *chuckles* Although, this does pose a bit of a problem. If I don't get results soon, my employer will have my neck. I suppose all my hopes of getting a large paycheck rest with them. *CRASH* And speaking of paychecks, my servant craves for his reward."

The scientist set down his recorder and grabbed a nearby hypodermic needle filled with the gold-red substance that he put into creating his mixture. He turned around to see the man named Charles becoming increasingly violent in a corner of the room, causing trouble by breaking beakers and shouting nonsense. Before he could cause any more damage however, "The scientist injected a small amount of the substance in the hypo, and immediately Charles began to calm down. He turned to the scientist, "Sorry sir, I don't know what came over me."

"It's alright,", the scientist said, voice full of insincerity, "just take a rest. I want you to be in top form for tonight when you spy on the two new subjects."

Charles nodded and went into the adjacent, unfurnished room, leaving the scientist once again to his thoughts.

**Strange chapter, isn't it? Who are the scientist and his assistant Charles? What is this strange red-gold substance that the scientist injected into Charles? Will Leo and Aeris get any money off of Leo's pornos? Well to all those questions, wait and see. Until then, would you kindly review this chapter? **


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3: The Plot Thickens and Thinnins at the Same Time

4 ½ days until Prologue

Aeris's POV

I truly underestimated how much of a horny bastard Leo is. I just thought that his stash was just a stack, but no, its a motherfucking box! At least there's more of a chance of finding something valuable in these things.

I'm standing over Leo, making sure he doesn't get lazy. Well, that or look at those pictures for too long. He has a laptop next to him to check if the magazine had any value or not. Most of them didn't so Leo put them in the pile I labeled, 'to be shredded later'. If we got lucky then he put them in the pile I also personally labeled, "to be sold on Ebay later'. Whenever he was slacking I slap my fist into my open palm to get him moving again, and let me tell you, that's an effective way to get someone to work. After about an hour of sorting, Leo looks up at me and says, "Aeris, I have to go to the bathroom."

I sigh. What is he, nine years old? I told him he could take a break and he ran out of the room as fast as he could to the bathroom. I smile and shake my head and looked at his progress. He's halfway done now and the shredding pile was much bigger than the selling pile, but I think we could turn in a decent profit. I sigh inwardly. The guy deserves a little slack. After all he is my boyfriend now, and he has been working hard. Huh, I think I can feel myself getting soft.

I sat down in front of the box and took up Leo's job for a while, listening for the flushing sound of the toilet so that I knew when he was coming back. I got an image to keep up with him after all. After about a minute and still no Leo, I began to get curious. What did these girls look like? (A/N This is not meant to be a pervy scene, its called character development) Was this what Leo expected me to look like if we... I shake the last thought. It was too early to do something like that. So I opened the magazine to the part with all the pictures and... wow, these girls are beautiful. Don't get me wrong, I know all of them are about as real as the possibility of Capcom releasing DLC characters at reasonable prices, but this is Leo we're talking about. He's so jaded he probably thinks that every woman looks like this when they're naked. This raises the question; does he love me for me, or for my body? I know what he said yesterday, but after seeing all of this, I'm not so sure anymore. All those cats are so much more prettier then I am, and not only that, but they're way more willing to take off their clothes, A.K.A, the girls who get all of the guys. It was around this time I heard the toilet flush.

I quickly put the magazine down in the shred pile and stand up, as if I had been waiting for Leo patently. He came in wordlessly and sat down to do his work again. I said as soon as he sat down, "Need any help?"

He looked up at me, slightly surprised by my mercy, but he only nodded and scooted over so that I can sit on the floor next to him. Since it was his laptop and he forbade me from touching it for some reason, I had the happy duty of looking through these things and making myself feel inadequate. I had to go through the whole process by flipping every single solitary page to see if any of the girls are famous today. It was around the college issue were things took a turn for the interesting, and by interesting I mean totally fucking disturbing. So anyway I was going through an issue that was printed sometime in the eighties (how he came across it I don't know), and I see yet another beautiful cat (though I took consolation in the fact that this was over thirty years ago, so now she must look entirely different). She had a light yellow color of fur, and a face that looked somehow familiar. It was when I read the name of the person did I know where I've seen her before. I turn the upper half of my body to Leo, "Um, Leo?"

He only grunted in response. I gulped a little bit, "I think this is your mom."

His reaction wasn't instantaneous. He just stopped typing a keyword on Google midway and looked straight at his keyboard. He then said in a disbelieving voice without looking at me, "Yeah sure Aeris, real mature trying to pull a 'made you look' trick, but I'm not buying it."

I shook my head even though he couldn't see it, "No Leo, I'm serious. This is totally your mom."

He paused again. After a few moments he spun around as fast as he could, grabbed the magazine out of my hands, and then stared at it. His eyes widened with horror and his jaw was to the floor. After a while he put on a fake smile, "This isn't her.", he said in a voice that sounded he was trying to convince himself more then me, "I mean, sure they look alike and sure they have the same first name, but the last name's different, so this can't be her."

I look at the name again, 'Susan Aaron'. I look back to Leo, "But Leo, didn't you tell me that your mother's maiden name was Aaron?"

As soon as I said those words, his mouth was hanging open once again and he didn't say anything for a while. He then took a large gulp of air and screamed at the top of his lungs.

General POV

Pantsman was back in the Pantscave, doing his usual routine after a failed mission: sitting in front of his TV with reruns of CSI playing, all the while eating popcorn and sipping vodka. At the point of the episode where Lenny was about to give his one-liner after finding out how the victim died, was when he heard a scream pierce the air. He looked around his room, "What the hell? Did I put in CSI: Miami by mistake again? Oh well, I guess it doesn't matter."

At about the same time, the scientist was about to pour the contents of one of his test tubes into a beaker when he heard the same exact scream, which caused him to pour too much of the test tube liquid into the beaker, causing the mixture in the beaker to become an angry red color. The scientist, now angry, occasionally slipped into Chinese as he shouted, "Dammit Charles! I told you to leave so that you could spy on those two! Get out of here!"

Meanwhile in Ottawa, Mr and Mrs Leonardo were about to sit down and eat the lunch that Mrs. Leonardo had prepared, but they were stopped when they heard their son's scream (not that they knew it was their son's scream). "What do think that is honey?", Mrs. Leonardo asked her husband.

"I'm not entirely sure Susan dear,", he replied, "But if I had to guess it would probably either be the wind, or some unfortunate boy has just seen their mother being involved in lewd activities while in her college days."

She blushed, "Leo that was years ago! You still haven't let that go?"

He smiled, "Oh, I have. Its just that I have to tease you about something occasionally, don't I?"

She sighed and sat down at the table, "Well I hope for everyone's sake that what you said isn't correct."

While all this was going on, a black cloaked man name Johnny Evilguy was trying to sell his wares to a demon at the gates of hell when he heard the scream too. Like what Pantsman did, Johnny looked all around asking what that noise was, to which the demon said, "Probably just the souls of the damned screaming up at us."

Johnny nodded, "Yeah your probably right. So how many testicles can I put you down for Mr. Legion?"

Leo's POV

Why mommy? Why mommy? Why mommy? Why mommy? Why mommy? Why mommy?

(A/N And now for something completely different)

Charles's POV

A scream. Takes me back to way back when to there. Everyone was screaming there at one point in their lives. It don't matter anymore to me though, I'm outta there now. It's afternoon time and I'm nearby the doc's new subject's place, preparing myself to climb the wall. After all, have to be careful in daylight after all. Lots of people around to see me. Fighting every urge not to go out into the street and carve every available person up like turkey, I set my hooks into the wall and started my long climb up the wall. I wonder how the doc came across some o' that Sticky Skin tonic that I took a few weeks earlier, but I'm really not one to question. After the hooks, I put my bare feet up on the wall, and there I go. I avoid the windows as I climb, and I have to use my memory to find where my pray are. Poor choice I was the doc made, I sometimes can't ever remember my own name. After a while I retrace my steps and find the window where I was last night, but no one was there. It was then I realized that they might have moved around so I placed one of my hooks on the plastic part of the window where you open it from and slowly opened it, careful not to make my presence known. I put my meat-hooks in my belt and climb through the window into the building. I could here talking in the room next door, and lucky for me, the door to this room was open. I climb up the wall and onto the ceiling, where I went through the door through the top. I slowly crawl upside-down up the hallway to the other bedroom, which wasn't open. It didn't matter though, because I could hear them talking to each other.

Aeris's POV

"How could I not have noticed? That was my mom for God sakes. How can I look at myself knowing that I could have done that to my mother's picture? Now I'll never be able to look at my mom again.", Leo mumbled to himself while crying. He sat in a fetal position on his bed, rocking back and forth while breathing raggedly. I have to say, he took that really hard. Well I can't blame him, it was his mom after all. I sat down next to him on his bed and started stroking his head while saying gently, "Shh, its okay. Everything will be okay."

He then turned to me and shouted, "No Aeris its not okay! I could have done something to my mom's nude picture that I can never take back!", and then he started sobbing again.

I backed away a little but I still sat next to him. After a while I asked him, "Can I get you something to drink?"

He nodded and I left his room to get him some water. Oddly enough, when I was in the hallway I couldn't help but fell like I was being watched. I looked all around me, and even up but I couldn't see anybody. I shook the feeling and went into the kitchen to get Leo his drink. When I came back Leo was still rocking on his bed. I handed him his water which he took and drank in about one gulp. He sighed when he stopped drinking and put the glass on his nightstand. He then said in a hoarse whisper, "Thanks. I needed that."

I sat back down next to him and grabbed his arm, "Leo, what's on your mind?"

He let out a humorless laugh, "Well, if I had to think off the top of my head it would be that I possibly did something to my mom's naked picture that I'm not entirely proud of."

I look into his eyes, "Is that all that's bothering you?"

He sighed and looked away, "No. Its just, how could I look at my mother ever again without thinking about that picture. Not only that, but just thinking about what I could have done is making me feel unclean. I can't imagine you know what its like."

I think for a moment, then say, "Actually I do."

He turned his head to me, "What?"

I nodded, "When I was in the other time and found out that other me was a whore, I felt pretty unclean myself. I can't saw that its the exact same thing that your feeling right now, but I think that its pretty damn close."

Leo looked at me for a while and then smiled, "Thanks Aeris."

We hugged each other and shared another kiss. After that we went back to work, avoiding the one issue that started this whole thing.

Charles's POV

That's all I needed to find out.

Thirty Minutes Later

I love these sewers. Remind me of home they do. It gives me a sense of familiarity I guess. I find the lamp and then open the hidden door to the lab. There stood the doc, mixing his stuff. I spied his desk the hypo containing my reward, but he got my attention, "What did you find out Charles?"

I rubbed my hands, "Well, they fit the requirement's sir. They seem to be in a loving relationship, and they seem to not be intimate yet too."

The doc put his test tubes down and turned around, showing him wearing thick black-rimmed glasses, and was balding too. He smiled, "Excellent. We only need about four more days until this is ready. When it is complete I will need you to collect them."

I smiled, "And then I get my reward?"

He nodded, "Yes, you get your reward then.", he gestured to the door, "Until then, relax."

I nodded excitedly and walked quickly into my room.

**Sorry that this is shorter then the last one, but I didn't really how far I could go with this, so I stopped here. Anyway, in this chapter I wanted to develop Aeris's character, so here it is. We also dived into Charles's psyche. So, who are these two. As my favorite reviewer says, "Only time will tell".**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4: The Relationship Killer

4 ½ days left until Prologue

? POV

As Charles left the room, I gave myself a small smile. I have a feeling that this is going to be a very productive experiment. Not only that, but I received word from my employer earlier that no matter what happens, I still get my paycheck. I look to the left of me to see a box full of my old audio diaries. Feeling a little nostalgic, I sift through the box looking for the oldest one. I found the one I was looking for, which was labeled, "Just What To Use", pressed play, and a tinny version of my voice started playing.

_"Odd day today. Not only am I back on surface, alive no less, but I have a new laboratory to work on my research. A very generous person this Johnny Evilguy, offering this, a large amount of money, and an assistant from my city. He said there was one condition though, I have to make him a weapon... and I know just what to use."_

I put down the recorder and pick up the second oldest one, which was labeled, "Charles", and hit the play button.

_"I don't know what that Evilguy was thinking, getting me an assistant like Charles. Granted, he is more sane than anyone else in that place nowadays, but he could have gotten me completely sane person. I offer to get him better clothes, he just looks with pride at his tattered suit. I offer to fix his deformed face so that he can walk around without attracting attention, but he scoffs me and straightens his ugly mask. All he ever wants to talk about is his reward for when he brings back some subjects. All I can hope is this arrangement doesn't last long."_

I sighed. It has been about two months since we came here, and it seems that I'm stuck with Charles for a while. The next diary was labeled, "First Experiment".

_"Goddammit! The experiment was a total failure! Not only did the body reject the Lot, but the both of them died almost instantaneously! I need to think this through. Maybe there was a factor that I overlooked? Some forgotten variable? Maybe if they're women..."_

I remembered that well. I used two men in that experiment. The only reason that there were two people to begin with was so I could double my chances of success. I picked up the next diary labeled, "Second Verse".

_"_*_Sigh*_ _ Still no good results. The women are more resilient then the men, but that didn't change the fact that the both of them still died. Although I heard from Charles that the both of them had boyfriends. I wonder..."_

This was the point where I really started to catch on. I then pressed the play button on the diary labeled, "A Clever Thought".

_"Charles bought in a married couple today. The results were interesting to say the least. They both lived longer then the last four subjects, but after a while of screaming, they still died. It is obvious to me that in order for this test to work, we need two members of the opposite sex in a relationship of __some sort, but which kind? I suppose, "trial and error" will have to work here. For now at least." _

That was three weeks ago. It amazed me by how much progress I've made in this research. I pick up the next diary, "Progress", and hit play.

_"I've got it. I autopsied the married couple and I figured out what kept them alive as long as they had. The Lot, or Codename: Feral as I like to call it now, directly effects the brain in a way that destroys it almost instantaneously. However, these two had a chemical in their brain that hindered the killing effect of Feral temporally. The chemical is released upon the feeling of love. Although, this was countered by another chemical the brain makes when one's virginity is taken. It is clear that in order for this experiment to work I need people in a romantic relationship who still have their virginity intact. This may take a while."_

I put the diary down and picked up the second to last diary, "What Other Subjects".

_"New set of subjects, same results. I just don't understand how they died when I mulled over every single detail. Charles said that they were perfect for the experiment. Although, maybe there is something I'm missing? Maybe I'm just choosing wrong subjects? But what other subjects are there?"_

I set the audio diaries back in the box and went back to making the Lot. I remembered promising myself that this would be the last time I touched this. I smirk to myself. To me, it was funny how I forgot how fun making these things was.

4 days until Prologue

Aeris's POV

I woke up feeling a little cold, but since there's no Leo sleeping next to me when I wake up again, it's easy to understand why. Not only that, but for some reason my window was open, letting in the brisk Toronto air. I got out of bed and shut the window, sighing to myself. Since when have I ever opened my window? I store that thought in the back of my head for a later time, and walk outside into the hall, where once again I get that that weird feeling of being watched. I ignore it and go into Leo's room, where I see that he's out of bed. I took this as a good sign, since after yesterday... yeah, he became pretty quiet. After we took care of the rest of the box, Leo just shut himself in his room (me with all the magazines of course) and didn't come out for the rest of the day. I was worried about him, but I knew he could take care of himself, and besides its not like he's gonna kill himself or something.

After looking in Leo's room, I decided to look in the living room, where he was probably forgetting all about his mom while playing some Assassin's Creed Brotherhood multiplayer. I walk out into the kitchen (which is next to the living room) and shouted his name, but I didn't get an answer. I figured the idiot was just too absorbed in his own little world to hear me, so I just went into the living room. Before I did though, I saw a sticky note on the refrigerator door. I peeled it off and read:

_Aeris_

_In the short time we have been together, I have never felt happier. Recently however, circumstances have made it so that I have to suffer with a nude image of my mother, and the fact that I and many other men around the world have seen this picture and proceeded to take off their pants and... well I'd go into detail but I don't think you want to hear it. Anyway, I can't live with myself after yesterday, so I __have decided to take my own life. Remember that I will love you forever,_

_Leo_

I re-read the note, not believing in what I was seeing. Leo commit suicide? I rush into the living room and screamed at what I saw. Leo was on the floor, with a blood covered knife in his right hand. His clothes were stained with blood, and his eyes had no light in them at all. His blood covered the carpet, and since he was laying face up, I could see that he slit his own throat. I kneel on both my knees next to him, crying his name. I knew that I couldn't do nothing about this, so I raise myself up and go back into the kitchen to call the Police. It was then I felt a hand on my shoulder and screamed again.

Leo's POV

Oh my God, I thought that she was going to jump out of her skin! I started to laugh as she turned around, a frightened look on her face. Fright was soon replaced by anger as she yelled, "JUST WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!"

I was still laughing, "That was something to scare you Aeris. It's close to Halloween so I thought, 'why the hell not'."

She looked hurt as well as angry, "So, you think that you pretending to commit suicide, me finding a suicide note from you, and me crying over your supposedly dead body is funny?"

I stopped my laughing and I could really see into her eyes. She was really hurt and I could see that she was close to tears. I look away, "Well, when you put it that way..."

She glared at me, "Leo, I have seen you do stupid shit before, but this takes the cake. When I saw you on the floor, I thought I was going to die Leo. What did you think would happen? That everything would just smooth over and be fine? Well Leo, do you know what, I loved you before that happened."

I looked at her, "Don't you mean love, as in like present tense?"

She shook her head, "I'm not so sure anymore Leo.", she then walked over to the front door and opened it, "Get out."

"What?", I said disbelieving.

She yelling now, "Leave, go, depart, vacate, move, scram, beat it! I have other synonyms to use, shall I go on?"

Not wanting to anger her any further then I already had, I walked out of the door, but I turned around before she slammed it saying, "Can you forgive me! I'm sorry!"

She looked at me with stone-cold eyes, "Sorry Isn't going to cut it today Leo."

With that she slammed the door in my face and I gained what was sure to be a very large bruise on my forehead. I sighed and went down the hall and rode the elevator down the Scott's apartment, where I knocked on the door. It opened and Scott stood there, wondering who woke him up from his sleep. When he saw me at his doorstep, he said, "Leo? What the hell are you doing here?"

I wasn't in the mood for questions so I just said, "I'll tell you later, just let me in Scott."

He looked a little taken aback by what I had said, but he let me in anyway. Scott called his apartment the Pantscave, but it really wasn't all that. All he had in the way of technology was a computer, a TV, and a few games, but other then that, he had nothing. I sat on his ruined couch and he sat next to me, "Alright Leo, why are you here?"

I sighed, "Well, long story short, I did something stupid, Aeris got mad at me, and now she kicked me out. I came here because Krug lives in the basement and I don't want to go there, and Ternaldo is just too annoying for me right now."

Scott scratched his chin, "Well I think that you need to fix whatever it is you did Leo.", he then got curious, "What did you do anyway?"

I put on a sheepish smile, "I uh... pretended to commit suicide."

Scott whistled, "Wow. I didn't think you would attempt to do a relationship killer this early on. Even I don't do that until I got some."

I looked at him questioningly, "A relationship killer?"

Scott nodded, "What, you don't know? You do that to a friend or girlfriend and that guarantees that you will never see them again. Ever.

"What?", I said, still curious about this.

He rolled his eyes, "What, do I have to spell it out to you? That stunt you pulled is known among us people who go through girlfriends really fast as a relationship killer. Basically its a stunt so idiotic that it destroys any love between the two of you. What you did was relationship killer #52, the fake suicide. My favorite is #86, the cat puppets."

I was only half listening to Scott at this point. Did I really just kill my relationship with Aeris? Is there really no way to fix this? I interrupted Scott, "Is there anyway to fix this?"

Scott looked at me with an eyebrow raised, "Why? Your a free cat now Leo, shouldn't you be celebrating?"

I grabbed his shirt and started shaking him, "No I shouldn't be celebrating! Relationship killers may work for you Scott but not for me! Now tell me, is there a way to fix this!"

Scott tore my hands off of his shirt and sighed, "Okay, you want to bring Aeris back, here's what you got to do."

Aeris's POV

I put my suitcase down on my bed and started packing all my essentials. I remembered back to after I kicked Leo out.

_30 Minutes Ago_

_ Now that Aeris was alone again, she could finally release her emotions. She ran into her bedroom, ran face-down into her bed, and cried. She remembered to when they came back from the End of Time, so full of love and happiness, but now all of that was thrown away after Leo's latest idiotic stunt. After about fifteen minutes of crying, she got out of her bed and went into the kitchen, still sniffling and tears still running down her cheeks. She went to the phone and picked it up, dialed a number and waited for a voice at the other end. It came when a kind female voice at the other end said, "Hello?"_

_ Aeris sniffed a little before she addressed the person, "Mom?"_

_ The person now reveled to be Aeris's mother, suddenly sounded happier when she heard who was calling, "Aeris! Hi baby, how's it going?"_

_ Aeris hadn't talked to her parents for over a year now, so it was a little awkward for her, but she went on, "Terrible. Leo did something incredibly stupid today so I kicked him out."_

_ At the mention of Leo's name her mother seemed to get a little bitter, "Aeris, your father and I told you that moving in with him was a mistake. Don't get me wrong, he is an okay boy, its just that I knew he would hurt you somehow. I'm just glad that you didn't have a relationship with him."_

_ Aeris paused a little trying to find the words to say that she did fall for him, but her mother said something before she could, "You were in a relationship, weren't you?"_

_ Aeris sighed, "You know what, you were right. In the two days he spent as my boyfriend, he ruined his chances of ever seeing me again. He's not mature enough to be anyone's boyfriend.", she changed the topic, "Anyway, I'm calling to ask if I could live with you guys for a while."_

_ "Why? Your living in an apartment already, why can't you still live there?", her mother asked._

_ Aeris sighed again, "Well, technically this is Leo's place, so I can't actually stay here."_

_ Aeris could hear her mother's sigh on the other end, "Alright, you can stay here for as long as you need to, but no longer then that."_

_ Aeris half smiled, "Thanks mom. By the way, did you move while I was gone?"_

_ "No, we still live at the same place.", her mother answered._

_ Aeris thanked her mother again and told her she would be flying in soon before she put the phone back on the receiver. She then left to start packing for her flight to Ottawa._

Present

I look back at the apartment building that I once called my home and pull out my cell phone. I dialed Leo's number and no sooner then he said, "Hello.", I told him to come back to his apartment. I turn to the street and hail a taxi to take me to the airport.

Charles's POV

This won't do at all, no this won't do at all. The both of them have to be in love for in order for the experiment to work. The doc won't be happy about this. Although, I still have four more days, and either way, whether they love each other or not, I still get my reward, and doc gets his money. Although, it would make doc happy to have the experiment work, yes it would. Maybe I could, nudge the gray one in the right direction, and then doc will be very happy, yes he will. I hear a door open and the gray cat walks in. I stand perfectly still and wait for the Natural Camouflage tonic to take its effect.

Leo's POV

When I opened the door, I expected Aeris to be there waiting for an apology, but instead I saw no one there at all. I called her name and got nothing in response. I walked into the kitchen and saw a sticky note on the fridge, much like the one I put there this morning. I peeled it off and read:

_Leo_

_The short time we've been together has been the happiest time of my life. However, after your little stunt today, I realized that I have fallen out of love with you. I have lived with your stupidity before, and I accepted you then, but today was beyond compare. I loved you Leo Leonardo the Third, I truly did, but you hurt me in such a way that made it so I couldn't be in love with you anymore. As such, I have left this apartment to live somewhere else. Please do not look for me. It's for the best._

_Aeris_

This was worse then a suicide note. Only now did I see the sheer stupidity of my act and now... I sigh. Now what am I going to do? Of course I was going to go look for her but I didn't even know the first place to start. Then I heard a button press, and I heard a voice, _"Hello?"_

It was a recorded conversation that Aeris had with her mother. I don't know how it started to play, but thank God it did, because now I know she's going to go live with her parents. I ran out of the building and hailed a taxi, hoping that I could get to the airport before Aeris could leave for her old home in Ottawa.

**Well Leo, that is probably the stupidest thing you have ever done. Ever. Anyway, what will happen to Leo and Aeris's love? Where did the two villains come from? What does Codename: Feral do? Well, I'm not telling you yet, so just wait a little bit for the next few chapters. Please Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5: Friends in Flight

3 ½ days until prologue

Aeris's POV

I was standing at Gate 6E in the Toronto International Airport, Coach Class ticket in hand, waiting for the next flight for Ottawa to come in. I sat in thought at the terminal, wondering if I'm doing the right thing, _"Of course you are,"_, I heard a voice in my head say, _"Leo was being an idiot but this time instead of aborting him, your taking the high road."_, I respond to this thought process by asking, "_Leo's always been stupid, why does this change anything?_", the voice responded, _"He hurt you. You thought he killed himself and it broke your heart. Your leaving so that he won't pull another stunt like that."_

I sigh. I thought back to the note that I left for Leo on the refrigerator back in the apartment. I wonder what he'll think of it when he reads the part that says I fell out of love him. Of course what I said was a lie, but I don't want him looking for me. He does what he's told, especially when I'm the one giving the orders. I look at the arrival/departure board to see that its 2:43 and the the next flight to Ottawa is on schedule, when I heard a voice on the intercom say, "We would like to begin the boarding process."

"_What's with the extra word? They could just say that they would like to begin the boarding and it would be just as effective._", I thought to myself bitterly.

After going through the security check (Fuck you terrorists. Fuck you and the airplanes you rode in on), I get to the place where you board the plane and saw the stewardess making those unnecessary hand motions saying, "Get on the plane, please. Get on the plane."

Again I started to think bitter thoughts, "_Fuck you bitch, I'm getting _in _the plane. Let Evel Kenevel get on the plane, I find there to be a lot less wind inside." _

Anyway, I get _in_ the plane and find my seat, which thankfully was a window seat. I sit down and plug in my I Pod headphones, waiting for the flight to start. I close my eyes as I listen to the music and I fell asleep after a while. When I woke up, the plane had started moving and we were about to take off. I turn my head to the left to see that my seat mates were a black wolf girl about my age and a white human boy of about fifteen wearing glasses. The wolf looked over to me as I woke up (probably because I was making some sort of sound) and smiled at me, "Hello."

I don't really take well to strangers, especially wolves (bad experiences with one in high school), but I was polite and said hello back. She then said, "You may want to put your seat belt on."

I grunt in response and fasten the seat belt right before we took off, no doubt saving me from an uncomfortable experience. I thank her for warning me about the seat belt and then went back to listening to my I Pod. After a few minutes of silence the wolf girl started talking to me again, "So, what's your name?"

I groan internally. I'm not a very chatty person and I can tell this wolf is a talker, so I can safely say I will not enjoy this flight. I turn off my I Pod and said, "Aeris Cole"

She gave a pleasant smile, "Nice to meet you, I'm Clarissa Richardson."

I turn my head to her. I just had to ask, "Richardson? You don't happen to be related to a Vanessa Richardson?"

She audibly sighed and said, "Unfortunately yes. She's my cousin, and I have to say, its embarrassing to say the least. Do you know her?"

I scoffed, "Know her? She bullied me and my bo... my friend in high school nearly every day. I was actually part of her posse before I realized how cruel she could be. She was always trying to become 'queen of the school' or some shit like that, but then she got pregnant. Serves her right really.", I realized who I was talking to, "Oops, did I offend you?"

She just waved her hand in a dismissive manner, "Its alright, I think that she got what she deserved. To be honest she was always sort of the black sheep of the family, and only her parents failed to see that.", she changed topic, "Anyway, why are you going to Ottawa?"

I look away, "Visiting my parents.", I half lied.

That didn't seem to satisfy her, "Boy troubles?"

"What?", I said disbelieving.

She gave a satisfied look, "It is boy troubles, isn't it?"

First this was interesting, now I'm just annoyed, "You now what? I'm not talking to you anymore."

It was then the boy turned to me, "Don't be angry at Clarissa, she just doesn't know when to stop poking into other people's business.", he extended his arm to me, "I'm William by the way, but you can call me Will."

I shake his hand disinterestedly and looked out the window to faintly see the last of the Toronto skyline. He started talking again, "So your visiting your parents? That's always nice. I'm going there with Clarissa here to see her parents with her."

Now I got interested again, "Okay, how do you know each other? Your in two different age groups, how did this happen?"

They looked at each other and then turned back to me. "We'd tell you, but it would probably sound stupid.", Clarissa said.

"Fair enough.", I grumbled.

After that there was an awkward silence that seemed to go on forever until Clarissa said, "So... is it guy troubles?"

I sigh and put my paw to my forehead. Will tried to come to my rescue and said, "Clarissa, please stop doing that. I swear, your as persistent as my mom when she's tipsy, always asking my little sister, 'whats the matter', to which she replies, 'you are mom! I keep telling you to stop drinking but you keep doing it because your depressed that your parents are dead'. I swear, they go back and forth all the time, its like...", he then noticed the WTF stares that me and Clarissa were giving him, "Well, either way, just stop it."

"No, its fine.", I said, "Yes, its guy problems. My boyfriend Leo pretended he committed suicide so now I'm leaving him."

The both of them grimaced. At first I thought it was because of what Leo did, but then Will said, "Doesn't that seem a little harsh? I mean, its just one stupid thing, its not that bad."

Clarissa turned to him, "I don't know Will, I'd probably leave my boyfriend too if he did something like that."

"Yeah.", I said, "Besides Will, you don't know Leo. He's like the King of Idiots, the veritable Sultan of Stupidity. Like this one time, he used my money to buy this video game console which was actually a box with nothing but rocks inside of it. To this day he still thinks its a real console."

Will whistled, "Damn, that is stupid. So what did you do when he came home with it?"

I shrugged, "What I would usually do, which was beat him to a pulp."

They both gave me incredulous looks. Clarissa then said, "So, you beat him?"

"Yep.", I said, not seeing where this was going.

Will then continued, "Something that you have done constantly?"

"Yeah?", I said, still not seeing what they were getting at.

Clarissa went on talking again, "Not only that, but you've known each other for... how long?

"Eleven years.", I replied.

Their stares seemed to bore into me. Will then said, "So let me get this straight. You two have been together for about eleven years, and in that time, whenever he did something stupid you would beat him?"

"That's correct.", I said.

Clarissa picked up where Will left off, "Don't you find it a little weird that your the one leaving him instead of the other way around?"

"Not really, why?", I asked.

Will sighed, "Seems to me that Leo's not the only jaded one."

I scoffed, "What?"

Will continued, "Don't you think that it might be a little odd that your boyfriend has been with you for eleven years, despite constant beatings, and you end up leaving him just because you got fed up with his antics? It just doesn't seem right to me."

Okay, now I see what they meant by asking all those questions. I decided to explain myself by telling them my experiences over the past couple of days starting with when Leo and I appeared in our kitchen, and working my way from there. They both found it especially funny when Leo found his mom in those pornos. When they stopped laughing I continued, "So today, when I woke up I went into his bedroom to see if he was okay. He wasn't in there so I was going to go into the living room to see if he was there. It was about then I saw this note on the refrigerator."

I don't know why I kept that thing. Maybe it was supposed to strengthen my resolve in thinking that Leo was dead to me, and if that's the case then its doing a pretty good job. They read it together and grimaced when they finished. When they handed it back to me I continued, "So after that I ran into the living room to see him on the floor covered with fake blood with a knife in his hand. I cried over his 'body' for a bit, then when I turned around to call the police he grabbed my shoulder and scared me. I then kicked him out and called my parents to ask if I could stay at their place for a while until I got a place of my own."

Will stopped me there, "Okay, I got it. You just became boyfriend girlfriend two days ago, and you left because he emotionally hurt you, right?"

I nodded. He continued, "A couple questions though. First of all, why did you leave? Its not like you couldn't stay, you were the one who kicked him out."

I thought about the question a moment before saying, "A few reasons actually. One is that it really didn't sit right with me to stay at his place when his parents bought it specifically for him, I just came along with him because he invited me to. Also it took the both of us to pay the rent and I even I can't hold off the landlord forever."

He nodded, "Alright I'll buy that. Next, would you take him back?"

I look down in thought. Would I take him back? I know that what I wrote in the note was a lie, but that didn't mean he didn't break my heart. He deserves to be punished for what he did, and what better way to punish him then taking away what he loves most, besides his video games? On the other hand, what about my happiness? I'll be killing that too if I stay away from him. I sigh, "You know what, if he somehow gets the guts to come after me after I expressively told him not to, yeah, I'll take him back."

"You seem pretty sure that he won't", Clarissa said in an unsure tone.

I roll my eyes, "Well like I said, you don't know Leo. He's probably just forgetting all about me right now by playing Gears of War or something."

Leo's POV

The taxi ride here was hell. You would not believe what the radio station the cabby was tuned to was playing. Here's some of the songs: Yesterday, Ain't No Sunshine, 100 Years, and She's Leaving Home. I have never been so depressed in my whole life. I enter the terminal and ran over to the shortest line to talk to the ticket giving person (I've never been to an airport before, sue me!). After about ten minutes of waiting I get to the ticket booth and ask, "Uh... miss? Were there any flights that left for Ottawa recently?"

She then spoke in a way that made me want to tare my ears out, "Oh, yeah, like a flight there just went about like, ten minutes ago."

"Damn!", I said to myself. Knowing Aeris she probably wanted to get away from me as quick as possible and took the flight that was leaving soonest. Well if that was the case then I'm just going to have to follow her. I look at the ticket giving person and said, "Could you hold my place while I make a quick call?"

The ticket giving person nodded and I run out of the line to a nearby ATM. I take out my cell phone and dial my parents home phone number. After listening to a dial tone for a couple seconds, I hear my dad's British accent on the other end, "_Leo my boy, is that you? You haven't called in a while, is something wrong?_"

I give a sound of indifference, "Something like that. I'm kinda having girl problems right now and I need your help."

I could hear a snigger on the other end, "_This girl wouldn't happen to be that Aeris girl that your friends with, would it?_"

I could only guess what he was going to say when I told him, "Yes."

I heard a laugh, "_Bravo boy, Bravo! I knew you could do it! So, need some advice to preform the horizantal tango, wink wink, nudge nudge?_"

I had my mouth open as I screamed, "FUCK NO!". Looking back, that probably wasn't the best thing to say in an airport crowded with people.

Another laugh, "_Don't be embarrassed boy, it happens to the best of us. Now what you have to do is romance her a little, you know, sweep her off her feet. Then you carry her into your room and set her on your bed you see-_"

I heard enough, "Dad! This is serious!"

He sounded taken aback, "_I am being serious._"

I rub my forehead, "I know, and that's the sad part. Anyway, were only two days in anyway, we're not ready for that."

He gasped, "_What moronic ideas has this generation been fed! Why, I bedded your mother on the first date and everything turned out fine for the both of us._"

I groan. I did not like it when my dad tells me about his times in bed with mom. Its just... ewwww. I start talking forcibly, "You know what? Put mom on the phone."

I could hear him grumble, "_Well someone put on their fussy pants today._"

I waited a while and then I heard my mom's voice, "_Hi Leo. Your father tells me your having girl troubles?_"

"Not like that!", I said quickly.

She chuckled, "_Alright, I understand. So what's the problem?_"

I began to explain everything that happened this morning, from the fake suicide, all the way to coming to the airport. She made one of those thinking sounds and said, "_So, what do you need?_"

"Money.", I answer simply.

She then asked, "_What for?_"

"What else could it be for?", I retorted, "I have to follow Aeris mom!"

I could hear a sigh, "_Alright. Go to an ATM, my PIN is 2286. Withdraw two thousand dollars _only_._"

I thanked her and after saying goodbye, hung up the phone and got 2000 dollars out of the ATM. I walk back over ticket giving person and handed her the money, "I'd like a one way ticket to Ottawa please."

She looked at me suspiciously, "With or without luggage?"

I shrug, "That depends, do the shoes and underwear I'm wearing right now count as luggage?"

She gave me a weird look, "Uh... no. I'll just put no luggage."

She typed on her computer and after a while she handed me a ticket, "Here. Your going to Gate C3. Just go up those stairs to the security check."

I thanked her as she picked up a phone and started talking to someone. Probably a friend or something. You know something, I hate it when girls call their friends who happen to be girls, girlfriends. It gives me false hope that their lesbians. Anyway, after that random tangent, I walk up a flight of stairs to the second level (hur hur, level, like video games) and see the long security check line. I sigh and brace myself for what is sure to be a long and dull experience. I suddenly wish I had brought along my DS.

30 Minutes Later

So after going through countless security measures, I think that I'm in the clear, when out of no where two guards show up and tell me, "Excuse me sir, but you've been selected for additional screening."

I then shouted, "WHAT!"

One of the guards then leaned in close, "Don't do as we say or you'll be arrested."

I groan and they lead me into the guard room. What could they possibly do to me now that could be worse then this?

30 Minutes Later

I came out of that room severely shaken. That glove was so cold. This is the second time I've felt unclean in two days. My fur is standing up on end and I'm pretty sure if Aeris could see me right now, she would be laughing her ass off. I walk off toward the boarding area still feeling violated in a way I just don't want to talk about. I hand my ticket to the... I don't know what you call her, so I'll just call her the girl you give tickets to. I walk into the plane and sit down on my assigned seat, which was a window seat on the right of the plane. I look over to my left and see in the center row a white girl wolf about my age with what looked like a four year old tiger kid. She seemed familiar, but this saggy, sad looking, and totally loser looking chick didn't really ring any bells.

After a while my seat mate showed up. He was an old human guy wearing one of those sweaters with those chain-looking patterns, graying hair and a short beard, and when he sat down I noticed that he had tattoos of chains on both his wrists. He had an air about him that seemed to say he had seen things that I don't think he wants to talk about, so I thought he might be a veteran or something. After a while, they did their safety lecture and we took off. I figure that since we had a long flight, I may as well talk to the guy, and he might even share some of his war stories too, that's always fun. I turn to him, "Hello."

He turned to look at me, and after a while he said hello back. I thought of a conversation starter and said, "So... what's your name?"

He didn't respond. I start talking again, "If it makes you feel better I'll tell you my name.", I extend my paw, "Leo Leonardo the Third."

He looked at my paw and gave a smile. He shook it and said, "Jack Ryan."

Jack Ryan? That name sounded familiar, but I don't think about it too hard. "If you don't mind my asking, why are you going to Ottawa?"

His smile faded somewhat at the question. He answered it anyway, "I have two reasons. One is that one of my daughters is getting married. I'm also looking for someone."

"Who?", I asked.

He didn't answer. Must be some friend of his from one of his wars or something. I change the subject, "So your daughter's getting married. That's nice."

He half smiled, "Yeah. She's the fifth and last to be."

I whistled softly, "Wow, five daughters. That must've been a hassle."

He shook his head, "Not really. I adopted them all when they were about six or nine. They were well behaved.", he looked away, "Although it was kinda hard at first."

I nodded in empathy, "Did they have trouble adjusting or something?"

"Something like that.", he answered. Now he changed the subject, "So why are you going there?"

Now I looked away from Jack, "I'm looking for someone too."

He seemed interested now, "Really? May I ask who?"

I shrugged, "Sure. I'm looking for my girlfriend Aeris. I did something stupid and she left me, so I'm trying to get her back."

"Oh really,", he said amused, "What did you do?"

I scratch the back of my head, "I uh... pretended to commit suicide."

He chuckled and shook his head, "That's really something. So you didn't change your clothes after of that?"

I gave him a questioning look and he told me to look at my shirt. Sure enough, ketchup stains were all over my clothes. I put on a sheepish smile, "I guess not."

He chuckled some more and asked, "Why did you do that anyway? Was it supposed to be a Halloween joke?"

"Exactly!", I said, "She totally took it the wrong way for some weird reason. She's probably on her period or something."

He stopped his chuckling and gave me a weird look, "Well, did you stop to consider what she might've done if you did that? Every action has a consequence after all."

Huh, that was a good point, "Well, usually when I do idiot things she reprimands me and hits me, so I figured it would play out like that."

He leaned away from me, "You were in a abusive relationship and your going after her after she leaves you?"

I felt kinda funny as I said, "Hey, you don't know Aeris. She's a one in a million for me. We have the same interests, she's beautiful, she can break a bone when she has to, and not only that, but we've been friends for so long, so we really got to know each other before our friendship took a turn for the serious. Look, here's a picture of her."

I pulled out a thumbnail sized picture of Aeris out of my pocket (I bought it to remind me of why I'm going to Ottawa) and showed it to him. He looked at her and smiled as he handed it back to me, "Well, I can't say I can really judge the beauty of an animal, but by your standards, she is a very good catch indeed."

"Thanks.", I said as I put her picture back in my wallet. I then ask, "Did you ever fall in love with someone?"

His smile faded again, "Romantic love never really was my strong suit. But when it comes to platonic love, I'm practically drowning in it. I've got five daughters, four son-in-laws soon to be five, and nine grandchildren. Its a blessing really. Although I wish I had a chance at real love. Nobody ever stuck out to me. Unlike you, you fell for her because of her looks didn't you?"

I shrug, "Yeah, at first. I mean, how can pink fur _not _stick out to you? When I got to know her though, she really set something off in me. I really started falling for her in high school, where her personality began to develop into what it is today. I had this bully, Vanessa Richardson. She was a complete and utter bitch, and at one point Aeris just sort of fell into her crowd of bitches. I don't know how, I think maybe Vanessa tricked her into thinking she wasn't bad, or something I don't know. Anyway, one day, Vanessa and her posse saw me and Aeris talking about something and she thought that Aeris was going to beat me up. Aeris was shocked by how her 'friend' wanted her to beat up someone she knew since middle school. All of Vanessa's girls then proceeded to hold Aeris back while Vanessa beat me to a quivering puddle in a way that Aeris's beatings couldn't compare to. Aeris, extremely pissed off at this point, then threw all of those girls off of her and went for Vanessa. What I saw was the most amazing thing I had ever seen in my life up to that point: Aeris was actually defending me. I knew that she cared about me before, but that was when I knew that she never wanted anything bad to happen to me. I started to feel an attraction to her on an emotional level at that point. Anyway, Aeris was kicked out of Vanessa's gang and over the course of a few months we were bullied nonstop. Then, justice. Her boyfriend Jason York knocked her up and she had to drop out of school because of it. Not only that, but he left her too, so she had to rely on her parents for support. I think the whole student body cheered the day she left."

I could hear that wolf in the center row crying, but I didn't pay any attention. Jack stroked his beard, "Well, that's quite the story. I can see how you fell in love with her. Can I ask why you didn't act on it sooner?"

I paled. There was one reason, but I didn't really need to go into that right now. I give him half an answer, "Well, until recently she just didn't really have any romantic feelings for me."

He nodded in understanding. He started to yawn, "I'm sorry Leo, but I'm pretty beat. Didn't really get much sleep last night. When I wake up I would love to talk to you some more."

I grunted a yes as he reclined his seat to go to sleep. I guess it's going to be a boring few hours.

General POV

Meanwhile in Toronto, Charles entered the laboratory and saw the doctor creating Feral. He nervously said, "Doc. I got some good news and bad news, yes I do."

The doctor stopped his mixing and turned around to address his assistant, "Good news first."

Charles nodded "Well, Jack Ryan left Toronto, he did. We're safe from him, we are."

The doctor nodded, "That is good news. He won't be able to find us now. Now, what's the bad news?"

Charles cleared his throat, "The subjects left for Ottawa, they did."

Charles screwed his eyes shut, fearing the worst, but it never came. When he opened his eyes, the doctor was smiling. The doctor turned around and went back to mixing. Charles then asked, "You would usually be mad at me right now, you would."

The doctor started talking, "It doesn't matter. These sewers stretch for miles. All you have to do is find the sewer that leads to Ottawa, and bring them here for experiment. Its that simple."

Charles smiled. He liked that about the doc, he was always quick to think when it came to getting out of tough situations. Charles spoke again, "So, do you want me to find Ottawa sir?"

The doctor said nothing, but visibly nodded. Charles took off again, this time instead of spying, he had the mission of finding the subjects in the new city.

**Well, that was a long chapter. What will become of Leo and Aeris's relationship? Who is this mysterious Jack Ryan? Will Charles find the both of them? Well I'm not telling, and I won't tell until I get four reviews. Without reviews, I believe that a story is doomed to mediocrity, as the author doesn't know if he is doing a good job pleasing his audience or not. So you guys scratch my back, and I scratch yours. You review my story, and I'll improve it or keep it the way it is. I also accept anonymous reviews too. Flames do not count as reviews by the way. **

**About this chapter. I wanted to write a chapter where we see Leo start to mature a little, and I think I demonstrated that quite nicely. I think that Leo has to mature just a little bit in order to be with Aeris. After all, would you go out with an idiot?** **Also, I'm sorry if there is no Toronto International Airport, that I don't know how airports work, and how an ATM works. I've never been to an airport before or withdraw money, sue me. **

**Enough of my ramblings, Read and Review please! **


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6: Dive Into the Psyche

3 ½ days until prologue

Aeris's POV

After about an hour or so of talking to Clarissa and Will, I start to yawn. Not that they were talking about something boring, its just that my nap from earlier had made me a little drowsy. I told them that I was going to catch some Z's and Clarissa said that she would wake me up if we got to Ottawa before I woke up. I thank her and recline the seat so that I could get some shut eye.

Dream Scape

When I opened my eyes, I saw that I was no longer on the plane, but back in the apartment. I was in my bed and I was a little cold, again from there being no Leo sleeping next to me. Was that whole suicide fiasco a dream? I sure as hell hoped that it was, or else I might have made one of the stupidest decisions in my life, and I'm talking Leo's level of stupidity. I hop out of bed and run into Leo's room to see that it's empty. I could feel my fear rising. This was getting dangerously close to what I 'dreamed'. I walk quickly into the kitchen to see that it was unoccupied too, except for a single sticky note on the refrigerator door. Nervously, I reached out and took it off. I then read:

_Aeris_

_In the short time we've been together, I have never felt happier. In fact, even when I saw that... picture I was possibly the happiest cat on the face of the planet. I have never felt this way about any other girl I have ever seen in my life (except Lara Croft but that's another story) and I truly want to see you happy. As such, I've taken the liberty of planning a surprise for you. A surprise in two parts actually. So if you would please come into the living room, we can begin._

_Leo_

I sigh in relief. This was totally different from what I experienced in my 'dream'. I slowly make my way into the living room, savoring the sweet suspense, waiting to see what Leo would do for me. I turned the corner and saw red. Not blood red, but the kind of red you see on those cheesy Valentines Day cards, but personally, I kind of like it cheesy. I looked over to the couch and saw Leo with a genuine smile without the perverted touch that only he could pull off. He had a paw in one of his pockets and his other paw was fidgeting noticeably. He was nervous about something but I couldn't tell what he was so worried about. He started talking, "Good morning Aeris. Your looking beautiful today."

I laugh internally at his obvious lie. I could tell that my hair and fur was absolutely out of control, and I was also wearing some pajamas, whereas he dressed for the occasion (whatever occasion it was) in his normal clothes. I decided that he must've complemented me for some reason, so I said, "Thank you. So what's this surprise in two parts?"

He licked his lips, "You may want to sit down first."

I took his advice and sat on the couch. I noticed then that he moved the small table in front of the couch that we use for putting food on. He needed the extra space for something, but what? He stood in front of me and started talking nervously, "Um... Aeris, we've been together for only two days, I know that, but this just seems right. I mean, we've known each other for over eleven years, so we both know our likes and dislikes, nearly every single flaw that we have, and-"

I cut him off, "Leo, get to the point."

He grinned sheepishly, "Right, sorry about that. Anyway, the point is that we both know nearly everything about each other. I just think that this is going to work, ya' know?"

I nodded. What was he getting at anyway? His breathing started to quicken a little, "So even though we've been together two days, I just wanted to ask you this question. Aeris Blackheart Cole,", He pulled a black velvet box from his pocket, opened it and knelt down on one knee, "will you marry me?"

I don't know how to describe the feeling I was getting right now. I guess I could say that I felt like my chest was swelling so much that I though it might explode. I looked into the box and saw a modest ring with what I guessed was a 12 karat diamond inlaid into it. I didn't know how he got it, but honestly, I really didn't care. I look back to him, "Leo Leonardo the Third.", I said in an angry tone, "You stupid, idiotic, gullible, fucktard!"

I could see his expression progress from nervousness, to sadness, and now it was an expression of fear. I start screaming, "Did you really expect me to marry you _this _early!"

He started to back off in fear, "Well, I was kinda hoping."

I continue, "You were hoping? Oh that's rich. You were hoping that I would put aside the fact that we, A: have only been in this relationship for two days and B: haven't even begun to get even more intimate then a hug and a kiss yet?"

He backed into the corner of a wall, as according to plan, "Uh..."

I start walking towards him in an intimidating matter, "Well you know what Leo?"

He gave a screech of fear and covered his crotch and face while scrunching up his body. I stand right in front of him and tare his paw away from his face. The box was still open. I smile and take the ring from the box and place it on my ring finger, "I accept."

He sighed in relief that I didn't hit him only to realize what I said a few moments later, "R-Really, you'll really marry me?"

I nodded. He started shouting in joy, "YES! I knew I would get married someday! Take that Vanessa you fucking bitch! She said it couldn't be done, but look at me now! Ha-ha! This is possibly the greatest day in my 22 year life!"

I chuckle, "Funny, you said the exact same thing when Duke Nukem Forever came out."

Almost immediately his expression changed to anger and hurt, "I told you never to mention that name in this apartment again. _Ever_."

I laugh at his statement. I remembered back to when he burned all his Duke Nukem related things when he played Forever. I couldn't really sympathize with him very well because I never waited over fifteen years for a game that had been canceled too many times to count, only for it to be released and then after playing thirty minutes in only to realize its absolute shit. He took it really hard, but I comforted him to the best of my ability (which admittedly wasn't very good). After about three weeks of him moping, he came to terms with the game being horrible and moved on to bigger and better games, like Left 4 Dead 2. Listen to me I sound like a biography or something. After I'm done laughing I say, "So, what's this second surprise that you promised me?"

_There's_ that perverted smile, I was wondering where it was. He spoke, "Well, I was thinking that we could go into your bedroom so that I could show you there."

I laugh internally, "I was actually thinking that you could show me out here."

He frowned, "But Aeris-"

He was cut off when I pin him to the corner he was standing near and start kissing him. He seemed taken aback at first, but he grew to except it. When we parted he said, "Whatever works for you."

I nodded, "That's what I thought."

We started kissing again, but this time it was a bit more feverish. He opened his mouth and he slipped his tongue out. I open my mouth too and immediately I feel the pleasure of our rough tongues dancing and exploring each others mouths. We both started to purr and our tails somehow wrapped around each other, looking like something a kid might make with pipe cleaners. We broke and smiled. I walk away from him and lie down seductively on the couch. His eyes were as big as plates and his mouth was opened wide while smiling at the same time. Apparently he was really liking what he was seeing. He started walking over slowly, and when he got over to the couch, he positioned his body above mine. We started to kiss again and we were loving every minute of it. I don't know how long we were kissing, but when I pulled my lips away from him, I felt that we had kissed for far too little. I whisper to him, "I love you Leo. I've loved you for so long. I feel like I'm in a dream."

"You are in a dream.", said a familiar voice.

I push Leo off me and look to my left to see a naked Scott in our kitchen, his lower half luckily covered as he was behind a counter. I scream, "Scott! What the fuck are you doing here! And why the hell are you naked!"

He sighed angrily, "I told you, this is a dream. And next time could you _please_ dream me as something cool, like me in a robot suit?"

Real World

I wake up in an unpleasant mood. That dream was such a tease. At least when Star Fox is involved I know that I'm going to get some action, but no, all the good stuff was cut off when Scott showed up. Not only that, but Leo _proposed _to me. It was supposed to end romantically goddammit. Apparently when I woke up Clarissa noticed and said, "Oh good, your up. I was just about to wake you, but I guess I won't need to do that now."

I grunt and but the seat back, all the while with a scowl on my face. Will must've noticed this because he said, "Dream end badly?"

How the hell did they get so observant? I look at him and he seemed to read my mind again, "Well when I get bored I just let my eyes wander, you know for the entertainment value. After a while I looked over to you and you had this huge grin on your face. Which reminds me, were you thinking of someone?"

I lower my eyelids menacingly, "I'd kick you in the nads, but I don't want to be arrested."

He smirked, "I get that a lot. So what went on? Were you dreaming of Leo? Were you going to do something to him?"

I could feel myself blush, "No. Why are you talking like that anyway, your only a kid."

Will scoffed, "I'm a teenager, how could I not be talking like that? I heard from my dad that people my age have dirty thoughts every fifteen seconds. I should know, I'm a testament to that."

"_Yeah, so's Leo._", I thought to myself as the fasten seat belt light started to flash. Soon I could feel the plane going at a downward angle. We have arrived at Ottawa.

Leo's POV

Its been a few minutes since Jack fell asleep and I am now thoroughly bored. I just _had _to leave without taking my DS with me. I look out the window and see clouds passing below us. Now what the hell am I going to do? I sigh. I guess I may as well take a nap. After all, it took a long night of preparation to create that little prank that started this whole mess. I recline the seat and close my eyes, hoping for sleep to come. And it did.

Dream Scape

When my eyes open, I'm back at Toronto Public High School with Aeris, walking through the halls during the second quarter of freshman year. "_Weird._", I thought to myself, "_Did I just black out again?_"

Anyway, Aeris and I were walking down the halls talking about the latest games that were going to be coming out today when we hear chatting at the end of the hall. We turned to look and we saw Vanessa Richardson herself coming down the hallway, army of bitches following close on her heel. While my face turned to an expression of terror at having to face another beat down from the most popular/loathed person in the entire city, Aeris noticeably smiled and called out to the group, "Vanessa, over here!"

I turn to look at her quickly. What the fuck is she doing! Didn't she know that that bitch (pun intended) always beat me into a bloody pulp in some of the most creative ways ever thought up by man? My bones were still mending from when she crushed my hand! I spoke, "Aeris what are you doing! She's that bully I've been telling you about!"

She looked at me disbelieving, "Vanessa? Leo, she's a nice person. She wouldn't hurt you."

I saw her and her gang start coming our way, "Like hell she won't!"

As they came closer, Vanessa visibly grinned her wolfish grin, "Hello Aeris. I see you met the resident freak."

Aeris smiled, "Well I guess your reputation precedes you Leo."

I was only half listening at this point. Right now I had to get away from Vanessa at all costs. I started to back off slowly and I guess I wasn't slow enough because Vanessa noticed me leaving, "Oh, so you think that you can back away from me. Well guess what, I'm not going to take that sitting down.", she turned to Aeris, "Would you like to do the honors Aeris?"

Aeris looked confused, "What honors?"

Vanessa rolled her eyes, "Do I really have to spell it out for you? Go and beat the ever loving shit out of him. You know, use your moves on him."

Aeris gave Vanessa an incredulous stare, "What! Leo's my friend, I would never hurt him like that. Unless he did something stupid."

Vanessa's face suddenly went serious, "You mean, you're friends with this waste of space?"

I could only guess that Aeris was confused by what her 'friend' was saying, "Yeah, I'm friends with him, ever since middle school. He saved me from a bully once and ever since we've been friends. Look, I know he's an idiot, but could you lay off him. He said earlier that you all bully him or something, but I know you aren't really like that, right?"

Vanessa looked down at the ground in what seemed to be thought. She then walked up to Aeris and said, "Wrong.", and then she punched Aeris in the gut. I felt every single hope of going throughout today without a beating go flying out the window as Aeris keeled over in pain. "Believe me,", she said, "that hurt me much more then it hurt you.".

That was the single most insincere use of that line I have ever heard in my life. Vanessa called to her gang, "Don't just stand there, keep this bitch back while I go and teach a lesson the the freak over there."

The group did as they were told and nearly all of the posse of ten had grabbed onto Aeris to keep her from me. Vanessa started walking toward me menacingly while I still backed away, much faster this time. But that wasn't enough, she still caught up to me and took me down by punching me in the face. I fell down to the floor and Vanessa laughed while my nose started to bleed. She then stomped on my chest with her pump heel (who the fuck wears pump heels at 14?), knocking all the wind out of me and no doubt cracking a few ribs. She looked down at me, "So, you corrupted one of my friends did you? This will not go unpunished you stupid little dumb ass."

I would have said something witty, but if you have a high-heel on your chest that makes it a little hard to do. I then heard shouting from a little bit away, "Get the fuck off of me!"

Suddenly Vanessa's leg was taken off my body. Not because she wanted to, no Aeris had tackled her off of me and pinned Vanessa to the ground! After my lungs start to feel better, I sit up and see that Aeris and Vanessa were rolling on the ground, Aeris clearly winning out. Whereas Aeris only seemed to have a few cuts, Vanessa's muzzle was clearly crooked and her right eye was visibly swollen. I don't know why, but seeing Aeris beating Vanessa into submission was giving me a sort of... I don't know, maybe that's just my crushed lungs talking. Actually, I never noticed how beautiful Aeris could look when she smiled, even if its the kind of smile you only give someone when you absolutely destroy someone, but it was beautiful nonetheless. Then it hit me. I wasn't suffering from lung pains, I was feeling love! Oh my God I'm in love with my best friend! Not good, not good, not good. I snap out of my thoughts and notice that Aeris is standing over a beaten Vanessa now, a victorious smile on her face. She then started walking over to me. I started to babble, "Uh, thanks Aeris. You really saved me back there. I didn't think I would have a chance if it weren't for-"

She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and said, "Leo, shut up and kiss me."

I don't know why I kissed her, but I did. It was the best decision I had made in my lifetime I can tell you that. Her lips tasted like strawberries and I wondered, since when did I know what strawberries taste like, I hate strawberries! Wait a minute, why does it matter what kind of lip gloss she wears, I'm kissing the girl of my dreams (even though I only just realized that I loved her)! After a while, she breaks off and says, "Take me Leo!"

And I am now officially turned on. I was about to do what she told me when out of no where, everyone Vanessa and her posse appear behind her and shout, "Take us too! We want you Leo!"

My mouth is now to the floor. I don't know how, but now ever single person with boobs in front of me is now completely and utterly naked. I then shout to the sky, "EVERY TIME I DOUBT YOU, YOU JUST PROVE ME WRONG! I WILL NEVER QUESTION YOUR EXISTANCE EVER AGAIN! THANK YOU SO MUCH SANTA CLAUS!"

I turn my attention back to all the hot naked girls (and Vanessa) and say, "Come and get me all of you!"

Then, just as I was about to have the single best experience in my life, a huge cube falls from the ceiling and onto all of the girls who were about to do me! On it was military style letters saying, The Cock Block. I shout to shout to the sky again, this time in anger, "DAMMIIIIIIIIIT!"

Real World

I wake up with a pit of disappointment in my stomach. Not only did I not have sex with Aeris (and all of those other girls), but she got crushed to death too (also with those other girls). I slump in my seat and pout. Can't I ever have just _one _uninterrupted sex dream. I look over to Jack to talk about something to get my mind off that dream but he's still asleep. At least he's probably dreaming of something better.

Jack's POV

The funny thing about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is that no matter how many pills you pop or how many times you visit the shrink, it always seems to sneak up on you somehow. It has been so long since I saw Rapture, and I personally never wanted to see it again. Too bad that whenever I close my eyes I always end up back in Rapture, always. I loathed to return to Fort Frolic, to Arcadia, to the Hephaestus. Andrew Ryan's office in particular was a place that I seemed to go to a lot. After so long, his words still echo through my head, "A man chooses, a slave obeys."

It always seems to start in the same place: at the beginning. The plane crashing into the Atlantic, me swimming to the lighthouse, and of course, stepping out into Rapture. The terror of seeing a splicer for the first time was never dulled and neither was the same splicer try to kill me while I sat in horror in the bathysphere. After that everything goes in a faster pace. I kill Dr. Steinman, kill my first Big Daddy, save my first Little Sister, fight Peach Wilkins and his goons, see 'Atlas's family' being blown to bits, using the Lazarus Vector to save Arcadia, being Sander Cohen's errand boy, kill Andrew Ryan. That's right where everything seems to pause. Up until that point, I always had considered Ryan my enemy, the person I had to kill in order to make it out of Rapture alive. How wrong I was. Atlas, the only friend I had in that accursed place was the real enemy. His real name was Frank Fontaine, and I was his fail safe. Turns out my whole past was a lie. I never grew up on a farm, I was the illegitimate son of the man I had just killed and some hussie strip club dancer. I wasn't raised to a loving family, I was born in a test tube. Then everything fast forwards again until I get to Fontaine's hideout. I had no idea how I survived with all those plasmids flying through the air. Although in the end I won, the victory still came with a price; severe mental scarring. Although, I got something that I was denied since birth when I left. A family. We came back to the surface with ten girls, I got half and Tannanbaum took the rest. We went our separate ways and I hadn't heard from her since then. I moved her to western Canada to get as far away from the Atlantic as possible, and as it turned out that was a smart move. Almost ten years later coastal cities along the Atlantic ocean had a rise in kidnapping numbers, and it seemed that the kidnappers were all wearing diving suits with glowing portholes. I had my suspicions that it all involved Rapture, but I ignored it. I never wanted to go there again, and besides I had five daughters to look after. Now we get to 2011 and I'm suddenly thrust into Rapture again. It all started about a few days ago, when _she_ called. She told me that a certain doctor was back and that he had a powerful friend to help him this time. Not only that but he had set up his base of operations in Toronto, the city where I lived in for over fifty years. That doctor was the man who created all the mental condition, all my false memories, and the phrase that still sends shivers down my spine whenever its uttered. I don't know how she found out he came back to life, or how he even came to be here, but I didn't care, I needed to find the son of a bitch. As soon as my daughter's wedding is over, I am going to hunt him down and kill him before he can do anything else to any more innocent people. I've even taken the liberty of planning out what leftover plasmid to kill him with. You may call me sadistic, but I want that man dead for what he did to the poor souls of Rapture who lumber around aimlessly, bound to a now obsolete duty, and for creating me, something that should have never existed at all. He will pay dearly for all the suffering he's caused, or my name isn't Jack Ryan.

Leo's POV

Oh good, he's waking up, that means I won't have to resort to annoying the stewardess for entertainment. Jack adjusts his seat up so that he's sitting up again and he yawns for a bit, drowsy from his nap. He then turns to me, "Hey Leo. You were telling me about your girl before I went to sleep right?"

Wow, good memory. Even I didn't remember what we were talking about. We engage again in a conversation about Aeris until the captain turned on the seat belt light. This is it. Time to find Aeris and make everything up to her.

General POV

Meanwhile in the sewer system, a certain crazed assistant was running down the cramped tunnels of the sewers in an eastward direction, making his way toward the capital city of Ottawa.

**Will Leo and Aeris get back together? Will Charles find the two cats and take them to that doctors lab? Why the hell did Leo dream of Vanessa naked? Four reviews will give you all the answers my friends. Until then, Read and Review! **

**Thank you FanFicwriter27 for the idea this chapter.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Here it is guys, Chapter 7. After a while of- *sirens* What the Hell is that? *looks out window* Oh no! It's the FanFic police, they've come to take me away for not updating often enough! *banging on door* "Open up in there! Your under FanFic arrest!" You'll never take me alive coppers! While I take care of this, enjoy the new chapter. Sorry if it isn't up to par with the last ones. Now if you'll excuse me *pulls out grenade* I have some FanFic police to take care of.**

Chapter 7: Family Reunions and Dinner Conversations

3 days until prologue

Aeris's POV

As I exit the cab, I look at the house that I used to call my home. It looked relatively the same since I left four years ago, except my dad put in a new flowerbed under the kitchen window. Yeah, I know, I thought it was weird too when an army man suddenly transitions into gardening, but hey its his hobby what can I say? I sighed heavily and grabbed the handle of my suitcase before walking up to the door. I admit, I'm kinda hating myself right now for doing this but I don't really have any other choice besides this. I raise my hand and knock on the door. After about a second a red cat that was shorter then I was stood at the door. Vincent. He smiled, "Aeris! How've ya been! I haven't seen you in so long!"

I place my paw on my excitable nine year old brother's head and laughed, "I'm fine Vince. Where's mom and dad?"

"Oh, dad's out back working on a shed and mom's out grocery shopping. She said that since you would be coming over that she would make something nice."

I let go of his head, "Well that was nice of her. You playing any new games?"

He scoffed, "How could I not be playing any new games. Batman Arkham City is like one of the best games _ever_."

I laugh again, "You say that every time you get a new game."

He looked a little indignant as he said, "Well it is."

I walk into my old home and everything is pretty much how I remembered it. Grandfather clock in the corner, paintings of ocean views on the walls, you know all the things that are in virtually every middle class suburban house. There were stairs leading up to the second floor in front of me. I start to go up them as I call out to Vincent, "Tell dad I'm here, I'm going to go unpack."

I heard him say okay before I walked all the way up. I turn to my left as soon as I got to the second floor to see the door to my room, and telling by the excess dust on the handle I don't think that anyone's been here for a while. When I turn the handle and opened the door, I couldn't help but sneeze. They really hadn't touched my room since I left! My old dresser has a layer of dust on it, there are cobwebs in every single corner, and my bed looked like it had an extra cushion of dust. Didn't it at all occur to them that I might be coming back to visit them? I make a disgusted noise and plop my suitcase on my old bed. Bad move on my part. The dust went flying at the violent disturbance. I cough and wave my paw in front of my face to get the dust away from me. After it settled I opened the suitcase and took out everything I brought along, which only consisted of my clothes and a few assorted toiletries.

When I finished unpacking I walked down the stairs and was greeted by a muscular red cat that was at least a foot taller then I was. Dad. He smiled as soon as he saw me and opened his arms for a hug. I smiled back and ran down the stairs into his open arms as if I was four years old again. I hadn't talked to him for over a year and I haven't even seen him ever since I left, but there wasn't any awkwardness in this reunion. When we parted he placed his paws on my shoulders, looking at me like he hasn't seen me in years, which is to be expected considering that he literally hasn't seen me in years. He started talking, "My God, has it really been four years? I feel like I haven't seen you in forty."

I take his hands off and smirk, "Dad, if you haven't seen me for over forty years, you would probably be dead."

He chuckled, "Callous as ever I see. I think I taught you a little too well."

"You taught me just fine if you ask me. If it weren't for you, I don't know how many pervs would be on my tail."

He suddenly turned serious, "Speaking of pervs, your mother told me you had something going on with that friend of yours."

I sigh. I knew that this was going to show up at some point, "Before you get too concerned, we only became a couple two days ago and I kept my virginity intact in that time frame."

He shook his head, "That's not what concerns me Aeris. As much as I hate to say it your a grown woman now, you can make your own decisions. I don't care if you two did it until you collapsed, all I care about is what he did to you that made you feel that you needed to leave him."

I rub my forehead and sigh as I explained everything that happened this morning. I even showed him the 'suicide note', after explaining yesterdays incident. As he read it he shook his head and crumpled it up, "I knew he was an idiot, but this? Don't get me wrong Aeris, he is a nice boy, but he makes a wet match in a dark cave look bright."

I laugh a little at that statement, "No kidding. I honestly don't know how I could've possibly fallen for him.". I immediately regretted saying that. I knew why I fell for him. He always wanted to see me happy, he could be charming when he wanted to be, he was honest, he saved my life, twice if you count him locking Snake in that locker considering that if he hadn't my life would be a living hell. I started to feel a little uneasy about my statement and shifted my body a little in discomfort. My dad didn't notice this though, as another person was walking through the door. It was a white cat, a woman this time. Mom. She was carrying in a brown shopping bag, no doubt the promised dinner. She seemed to be struggling with the weight of the bag, so dad went over to take it for her. She sighed in relief, "Thank you Daniel, I thought I was going to drop that."

He held the bag to his side without a problem, "It's alright. I all I need is a thank you and a kiss."

She smiled and pushed him away, "Later. Right now I have to prepare for Aeris, she'll be here any minute."

Huh, I guess she didn't see me. Although it wasn't very hard to get her attention, after all how hard is it not to see a pink cat right in front of you? She looked surprised, "Oh! Aeris your already here. I'm sorry I didn't see you, I was preoccupied.", she looked at my dad at the word, preoccupied.

I wave my hand in a dismissive way, "It's okay. Anyway dad, I don't think that I'm going to see Leo for a long time."

My mom immediately put on a frown, "Oh yes, Leo. I had a feeling that he would come up in conversation sometime. Oh well, I suppose sooner is better then later. Now, why did you leave again, you didn't say on the phone."

How many times am I going to have to tell this story? I sigh. I guess one more time won't hurt. I told the story again and as soon as I finished my mother put on a scowl, "Well I don't blame you Aeris. I would've left him too if I was in your position. Although one good thing came out of this; we're finally able to see each other again after so long."

I nodded and smile a fake smile. Yes, it was nice seeing my family again, but now Leo is out of my life, probably for good too. I wonder what he's doing right now. Heh, probably looking around my room for all of those pornos.

Leo's POV

I say goodbye and good luck to Jack as we left the airport. He was a nice guy, a bit quiet, but nice. I wouldn't mind seeing him again if I could. I hail a cab and after a while I left the airport. The cab was quiet for the most part, save for the radio, and I got bored. Again. After I while I look out the window, thinking about what happened these past couple days. Huh, I seem to be doing that a lot more then usual. I don't know what I was thinking when I did that stunt, I just thought it would be a funny prank to pull on Aeris. I've done things way more stupid before, what made this any different then any other day? Sometimes, I just cannot understand the way that woman thinks. One minute she's a loving, caring person who wants nothing more then to be my girlfriend, the next she wants to bite my head off. Usually I just chalk that up to her period, but something about what Jack said earlier rang true, _"Well, did you stop to consider what she might've done if you did that? Every action has a consequence after all."_ . Somehow what he said made sense to me. I just thought that she would take my stupidity like she usually would, which was beat me up, but now that we became an item... everything suddenly makes sense. She left me because I broke her heart, and I plan on fixing that tonight. I just need to make a stop at my old house before I can even think of seeing Aeris again.

10 Minutes Later

After paying the cab driver, I walk up to the door. It's been a while since I last saw my parents, I just wish that I could be here under better circumstances. I ring the doorbell and almost immediately a male gray cat with a brown overcoat and top hat, complete with a monocle opened the door. Dad. He smiled when he saw me, "Leo my boy! Your mother and I have been expecting you. So, how are things with Aeris?"

I give him a 'are you serious look' and say, "Dad, I probably wouldn't be here if things were going alright between me and Aeris."

He gave a sly smirk, "Well if you took my advise in the first place you wouldn't be in this situation, now would you?"

I quickly switch the topic to something less perverted, "Where's mom?"

He gestured toward the kitchen, "She's in the kitchen making dinner. She figured that since you were coming home that she would pull out all the stops and make us a nice dinner."

I raised an eyebrow, "Since when has mom never made us a nice dinner?"

He laughed a little, "Good point. Do you want to see her?"

I was about to say no but before I could a light yellow female cat walked out of the kitchen. Mom. All I could think at this point was, _"Do not look down, do not look down, do not look down!"_

She smiled broadly when she saw me and said, "Leo, its so good to have you home!", she then walked over to me and I had to experience the most awkward hug ever. Try hugging your mom after you've seen her naked, then you'll know what I mean. All I could feel was a furry naked body close to mine, and it made me cringe. I pull myself off of her as quickly as possible as try my best not to look at her directly as I say, "Hi mom. Its good to see you again."

She looked at me concerned now, "Leo, why aren't you looking at me?"

Damn, she noticed. I try to play it cool (but failed miserably) as I say, "What? I'm totally looking at you. It's not like I saw a naked picture of you in one of my old _PlayCat _magazines and I'm now severally scarred for life or anything.", and you can see how I failed miserably.

When I said that my mom put on a look that I can't quite place. It looked like a mix between disappointment, embarrassment, disgust, and shame. I looked over to my dad, but he didn't seem as uncomfortable as mom did. In fact, I think I saw his lips curling. My mom cleared her throat to get my attention and said, "Leo, I have two things to tell you in regard to that last sentence. First, I told you to get rid of those! I told you Aeris wouldn't appreciate having those things around!"

I immediately got defensive, "Hey, its not all my fault! Dad gave me most of those things when I left! I wasn't even dating Aeris so I figured that it would be okay! Besides, before I got together with her... I got lonely sometimes."

Her look became more sympathetic, "Alright, I can understand that. Now, on to the second thing... I'm just as ashamed about it as you are freaked out by it. It was a frat party and I had a little too much to drink so I thought it would be a good idea to pose naked for the cat with the camera. Coincidentally right after that was when I met your father. He took me into his bedroom after a while and-"

I start to gag a little, "TMI mom, TMI."

She smirked and shook her head, "Well how do you think you were born? Do you think that mommy and daddy were holding paws and you just popped out of nowhere?"

I groaned. As I stated before, I absolutely _hated _it when my parents talk about their sexual exploits. I just gives me a nasty feeling in my stomach and the mental image, oh my God the mental image! Its worse then the Goron nipples from Twilight Princess, it just gives off a nasty image that you want to stop thinking about but for all your efforts it just sits in the back of your brain jumping up and down until you start thinking about it.

Back to the task at hand, I change the subject, "Hey mom, did you sell any of my old stuff?"

She shook her head, "No, I kept all you old things. Why?"

I was about the answer when the smoke alarm went off in the kitchen. Mom sighed, "That's the fish. I swear every time I leave it alone the alarm goes off."

As my mom walked into the kitchen I looked back to my dad, who seemed to be quite amused at something. He must've noticed my confused look because he said, "I was just reminiscing son. Your mother was just as beautiful now as she was back in college. That story she just told you was a bit of a walk down memory lane for me. You see Leo, that's love right there, being able to say in complete honesty that she is still so beautiful after so long. I hope that when you get back together with Aeris that you can still feel that way for her after a few years."

I sigh and walk into the living room, where I flop onto the couch. I look up to ceiling and let my mind wander. What would've happened if I didn't do what I did? I close my eyes and imagine what might have been. As you can imagine my blood was heading in a southerly direction at these thoughts.

Aeris's POV

Three hours after Leo's arrival

"Wow mom, nice spread.", I said slightly impressed by the dinner she made.

She smiled graciously and said, "Thank you Aeris. I thought that since you were coming to stay for a while that I'd make an occasion out of it."

And she did make an occasion out of it. There was turkey (which, unfortunately reminded me of Leo's stupidity), crescent rolls, ham, not to mention a lot of mashed potatoes. You would've thought that we celebrated Thanksgiving a month early, it was amazing. My dad sat down at his spot as quickly as he could and said, " Well what are you all standing around for? Sit down and eat!"

Something I should mention is that my dad is a little bit of a glutton. Before any of us sat down he was buttering a crescent roll with one hand and spooning potatoes in his mouth with the other. It would've been funny if he didn't do it every single meal, but he does, and it isn't. I look to my mother, whose shaking her head as she pulled out her chair. I took my spot next to Vincent and started eating in the exact opposite way that my dad was. Seriously, you would think that he was Kirby if he started eating a little more food. We ate mostly in silence (I say mostly because my dad keeps making these om-nom noises) until Vincent tried to start up a conversation with me, "Uh, Aeris?"

I turn to him, "Yeah?"

He drummed his fingers on the table, "I was wondering, why did you start going out with Leo?"

And the one conversation that I really did not want to hear is now bought up. I sigh, "Why are you asking this?"

He shrugged, "I dunno, I think it's because when you left you told us that you wouldn't ever want to date someone as idiotic as him, and that you also said that you would rather have cervical cancer than fall in love with him."

I was about to tell Vincent why I did ever fall for Leo just so that I could shut him up and move on with my life, but then I realized one important detail in our story: it sounds absolutely insane. What am I supposed to tell them, that a video game character screwed up my childhood so that I would abort Leo and when I realized that I needed him back that I could go back in time via DeLorean to kill myself and then come back to the present to live the rest of my life with Leo? I can hear the sanitarium orderlies making up nicknames for me right now. Okay, how's this going to work, how am I going to make this believable? Luckily for me, mom came to my rescue and said, "Vincent, don't bother your sister, I'm sure she's tired of talking about Leo."

I mutter a quiet thanks and continued to eat.

**(A/N I would like to continue the Aeris conversing with her family segment, but I can't. I just don't know where to go with it. If you have any ideas, please don't hesitate to PM me and submit them. Who knows, if I like it, maybe you'll see it.)**

Leo's POV

I was awoken from my nap when my mom called my name. Waking up from _another _sex dream right before it got to the good parts, I slowly make my way to the dining room table and sat down without even looking at my parents and immediately started eating. I heard my mother's throat clear and looked up, seeing that she looked rather indignant. I stop mid-chew and spit what I had in my mouth back onto the plate and said, "Uh, thanks for the food mom."

She sighed and went to eating her salmon (which was what she made for us to eat **(A/N No shit Sherlock)**). After a while, my dad tried to start a conversation, "So Leo, if your here to win Aeris back, why are you here?"

I swallowed what I had in my mouth (normally I would talk with my mouth full, but mom is a stickler for manners) and said, "Well, I don't really want to face her _just _yet. You see, she's back at her old house, and I'm kinda afraid of her dad."

Mom and Dad got a kick out of that. "Your afraid of Daniel?", my mom said, "Sure he can be a little rough around the edges, but he doesn't mean harm."

I sighed, "Yeah, well that was before I was dating Aeris. I really don't want to deal with the look that I know he's going to give me."

My dad raised an eyebrow, "Look?"

"You know, the look that says, 'you may act all cute and innocent, but I know your sleeping with my daughter and I don't like you because of it'. That or the one that says, 'you broke my daughter's heart and now your going to die'.", I explained.

Dad shivered, "Oh yes, I had saw many of those looks before I met your mother. That and that one time when I met your mother's parents. Let me tell you, your father was not pleased to see me."

Mom shrugged, "He really didn't like anybody I brought into the house, even if they were friends."

I continued on from where I left off, "That's why I'm not going to do a direct approach. I have to play it sneaky, make use of the art of subterfuge, Solid Snake it in the bush-"

"Which I am sure will be a very effective method son.", my dad interrupted, laughing at my in-joke that was cleverly disguised as in innuendo. After he finished laughing I started talking again, "Anyway, what I'm going to do is that I'm going to sneak over to her house, break into her bedroom-"

"Wait a minute Leo,", my mom interrupted, "When you asked me if I sold any of your old things, you weren't talking about those grappling hooks, were you?", I nodded and she sighed, "Leo, I don't think that Aeris would like it if you broke into her home."

"Why not?", I asked, "Wouldn't you think that it would be an effective method of winning someone back by braking into a person's bedroom, and then waiting for them while dressed in all black clothes and a ski mask while breathing heavily?"

She licked her lips, "No Leo, I don't think that that would be a good thing to do at all."

"Well what else do you think that I should do then? That was what Scott told me to do when Aeris kicked out, and that was what I was going to use tonight."

She shook her head for some reason that I don't know. Then she perked up, as if she had an idea. She turned to my dad, "Leo, do you still have that old guitar in the garage?"

** Well, that's that. I'm sorry that this chapter isn't that good (at least in my opinion). I had writers block for a while and couldn't figure out how to move the story forward, but I promise, there will be suspense, action, and romance galore in the next chapter. See ya then. Review Please!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey everyone. Little delay on my part, what with those damned FanFic police on my tail. As of right now I'm uploading this from a trashcan outside a McDonald's. Had to charge my laptop with a frigging gerbil for god sakes. Anyway, sorry if Leo's out of character, but as MintyFishbowl told us in Freeverse, writing Leo as a romantic guy is _hard. _Oh well, enjoy. **

Chapter 8:

2 ½ days until Prologue

General POV

Charles lifted the manhole cover up and looked around. It was dark, eleven o'clock at least, and there weren't many people on the street. All the better for a prowler like him. Placing the cover back, he immediately wished that he wasn't in a suburban area. There weren't many places to hide and not a lot of areas to climb up. Once again scanning his surroundings, he saw a brightly lit Italian restaurant that seemed to have a large and loud crowd inside of it. Best to stay out of the light and stick to the shadows. He sniffed the air. They were here.

Jack's POV

With a sigh, I walk outside and light a cigarette. I love my daughters and all, but these rehearsals are boring as all hell. Not to mention all that noise inside, dear Lord I didn't think I could stand it any longer. I was always one of those guys who preferred to live in silence. I took a thoughtful drag as I walked through the parking lot. This was it. This was the last time I was ever going to see my last daughter as a vulnerable child. It's just that after so long after seeing her as nothing but that little girl, so scared and alone in that horrible city, turning into a full grown woman... no words can describe it if you ask me.

Immediately I bring my thoughts back down to earth and grab the seam of my sweater. Still there. You ever notice that whenever your carrying something important with you that you always check to see if it's still there, even if there's no chance of losing it? Well, hidden in a small box in the seam of my sweater is a small hypodermic needle. What's in the needle, you may ask? One of Rapture's leftovers if that helps any.

After a few minutes of nervous puffing, I started to get filter and just threw the cigarette away. I gotta quit smoking, don't want the family to be without me. As I was about to walk back inside, I heard a noise, a loud clanking sound. I don't know whether or not if it was curiosity or reflexes, but I hid behind a nearby car and looked to the street, where the sound was coming from. I didn't know what I was expecting, but when I saw a Splicer climb out, I can't say I was surprised. I almost expected it to happen if you could believe it. As it climbed out of the manhole, I could automatically tell that it was a Spider Splicer. One does not forget the look of glowing meat hooks very fast. It began to sprint down the street, and as it did I ran back inside to give my daughter a half-baked excuse for leaving early.

Leo's POV

How did I ever get talked into this? I'm sitting in the front passenger's seat of my mom's car as she drove me over to Aeris's house (hey, it was either this or get a taxi). I look to the backseat to see an old acoustic guitar that apparently my dad used to woo my mom when they first met. And the imagery comes back full force, making me cringe in disgust. To get my mind off of it I started talking to my mom, "This is never going work."

She scoffed, "Leo, everything will be just fine. This is much better than your last plan."

I started to raise my voice, "Mom, I haven't played an instrument in over ten years! How do you expect me to play good, let alone get Aeris back?"

She looked like she was about to say something but decided against it. I started talking again, "What am I even supposed to play for her? I don't know any romance songs."

"That's the beauty of it.", she replied, "It doesn't have to be romance. Just so long as it's sad and gets the message across that you feel sorry about what you did it'll work."

"How do you know all of this?", I asked.

"Well, it should be obvious because I'm a girl Leo.", she replied as if the answer were the most obvious thing in the world.

I shrug, "Well, not anymore. I mean, your so old now."

10 ½ seconds later

"I meant it in the nicest way!", I called back to the car that was speeding away from me. With a sigh I lug the guitar over my shoulder and walked the rest of the way to Aeris's place, which was luckily only a few houses down.

Aeris's POV

I climb up the stairs into my bedroom, calling a goodnight into the living room. With the mutual reply, I open the door and walk inside. Thanks to mom, the place is no longer an asthmatic's nightmare, and was now liveable. I dress into some pajamas and climb into bed, thankful that the dust is gone. After a few minutes of peaceful rest however, there was a tapping sound. I ignored it, thinking that Vincent was messing around with something. Although after a while the tapping got louder, and I started to get irritated. I got out of bed with a scowl and looked around my room to see what the noise was. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a stone hit my window. No, it couldn't be, even he isn't that stupid. Getting out of bed, I was about to walk over to the window and open it, but then one of the rocks hit the window just right and the glass broke. Yep, it's him alright.

After putting on some slippers so that I wouldn't cut my feet, I walked over to my window and looked down. Sure enough, Leo was down in the backyard, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment at the shattered window. After a while, we locked eyes and didn't say anything for a good five seconds. I couldn't help but glare at him. After all, he did break my heart. It was me who broke the silence, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"And here I was expecting a hello.", he said sarcastically. Funny, since when was he capable of making witty comments, albeit bad ones? He continued, "Well Aeris, I came here to say hello, pick up some milk, some eggs, make you fall in love me again, you know the usual."

Was he serious? I continue to scowl at him as I said, "Leo, I'm serious. Why are you here?"

He sighed and rubbed his forehead, "Look, I know that I may be the last person that you want to see, but please let me explain myself."

I tapped my foot thoughtfully and looked around the room. With an angry sigh I said, "Fine, you have five minutes before I call my dad and he uses you as fertilizer in his garden."

He visibly flinched, but that wasn't enough to drive him away. He took a deep breath before saying, "Aeris, I had a lot of time to think-"

"Okay, let me just stop you there.", I said, "Since when have you ever thought about something that didn't involve some disgusting theory about video games?"

He suddenly grew serious, "Since you left me without explaining, that's when!"

I suddenly feel a little guilty as he continued where he left off, "Anyway, I had a lot of time to think. I'll admit it, what I did was stupid. I just thought that it would be a fun Halloween prank and that we would go into the usual rhythm. You know, I do something stupid, you get angry and sometimes rough me up at bit, and the whole thing starts over again. When you left, I was more confused then I normally am. All I could think about was why you left me. Then on the flight here I met a guy that really opened my eyes, and I figured out why you left. You left because you thought that I had really killed myself, and that you lost me forever. All I want to say is, I'm sorry for putting you through all that."

To say I was shocked was an understatement. Leo, the idiot, the pervert, the all around asshole, was genuinely sorry about putting me through what he did. Not only that, but he came all the way here, into my backyard, risking my father's wrath, _just _so that he could tell me that, when he could've just as easily called me. But that wasn't the half of it. In the day I've been gone, Leo seemed to do the impossible. He grew up. I was starting to blush a little, but I still really didn't forgive him fully. I started to speak, "Leo, that was the smartest and most heartfelt thing that I have ever heard leave your mouth.", he smiled up at me, but it diminished as I said, "But that still doesn't mean that I forgive you though."

"Why not?", he whined, immediately returning to his old and less mature self.

"Well,", I began, "you may have apologized for what you did Leo, but that doesn't make what you did any less hurtful. When I though that you killed yourself, I died a little bit inside. When I found out it was a trick, my heart broke because I didn't think you could be so cruel, especially to the person you loved."

"Says the cat who knocks me around whenever I do something stupid.", he scoffed.

"That's different!", I exclaimed

"No Aeris,", he replied, his brand new mature side taking over again, "its exactly the same thing. We've known each other for eleven years now, and in that time whenever I did something that you deemed incredibly stupid, you hit me. I don't know about you, but that sounds a lot like an abusive relationship if you ask me. And you know what? I never told anybody, I never called the police, I never told you to leave and never come back, and yet, when it happens to _you, _you can't handle it. Maybe that's why you told me to leave."

I'm not entirely sure I like this new Leo. His words sting horribly. Maybe he's right. Maybe the threat of someone doing what I do to them was too much for me and I ran away to escape it. I feel tears start to well up in my eyes as I look down at him. His face starts to soften after he sees this and he started to speak soothingly, "Aeris c'mon, don't cry, your stronger then that.", it then looked like he had an idea, "Hold on a second."

On the ground behind him, he pulled out an acoustic guitar, and looked at me with a comforting smile. He then said in an announcer's voice, "And now, Leo Leonardo the Third will play and sing a song in order to cheer up his girlfriend."

I laughed in spite of my forming tears as he started to play

General POV

_"Here goes nothing"_, Leo though to himself as he began to play the first tune that came into his mind, which appropriately enough was "Yesterday".His playing was sloppy, but he still managed to scratch out a halfway decent melody. Then he started to sing, "_Yesterday. All my troubles seemed so far away. Now it looks as though their here to stay. Oh, I believe in Yesterday._"

As he sang, Aeris wondered about how apropos the song was. Literally, to the both of them, yesterday was one of the best days of their lives and today was when all the shit hit the fan. She didn't know whether or not she left him because he broke her heart, it was a psychological thing, or both, but none of that mattered now. Yesterday's feeling were coming back.

He continued to sing, "_Suddenly. I'm not half the man I used to be. There's a shadow hanging over me. Oh, Yesterday, came suddenly._"

She thought about the lyrics that were being sung. It really didn't seem appropriate to say that Leo was half the man he used to be. In fact, it seemed that he was even more of a man then before, going out of his way to come and find her so that they would be together again. Not to mention the fact that he seemed to have become much smarter than when she left him earlier that day. Her thoughts were interrupted by the chorus, "_Why, she, had to go I don't know, she wouldn't say. I said, something wrong, now I long, for Yesterday_"

Again, she thought of how appropriate the song was. She was reminded of all that had happened between them; that night in his arms, him cooking her breakfast, the kiss, her dangling the promise of sex in his face and then taking it away. She smiled down at him, one of her fangs poking out from her lips as she remembered all the good times that they shared yesterday.

The song continued, "_Yesterday. Love was such an easy game to play. Now I need a place to hide away. Oh, I believe, in Yesterday._"

She felt slightly guilty when these lyrics came up. She was the one that did all the running, not him. In fact, he came after her in spite of fear of her _and _her father. She was the one that left him after he did something akin to karma, one might say. She didn't want to believe that she left because she felt threatened by Leo doing to her what she did to him, yet she couldn't escape the possibility of it being true. She shook those thoughts and went back to listening to what she considered beautiful music, "_Why, she, had to go I don't know, she wouldn't say. I said, something wrong, now I long, for __Yesterday._"

Leo was happy now. The song he was singing may have been sad, but to the both of them it meant something more. This was a song about about a break-up, but he was using it to get back together with Aeris. He put his heart and his soul into his playing, and it was definitely showing. Sure the tune was scratchy, the guitar was twangy, and he couldn't decide whether or not his voice was a tenor or a baritone, but none of that mattered. He was playing for his girlfriend, and that was all that mattered to the both of them (even if Aeris thought that The Beatles were old news). Now he was going to give her a big finisher, or as big a finisher as you can give with this kind of song, "_Yesterday. Love was such an easy game to play. Now I need a place to hide away. Oh, I believe, in Yesterday._"

Aeris's POV

I smiled appreciatively down at my idiot boyfriend as he finished, my tears completely forgotten. "Thanks Leo,", I said in happy tone, "that really helped a lot."

He smiled back up at me, "Your welcome Aeris. After all, what are boyfriends for. Besides having sex with."

I laughed at his stupid comment, glad to hear him talking like he normally does and not being mature about it. Don't get me wrong, I like having Leo growing up, but I just like him better this way.

"Hey Leo,", I called down, "how about you come on up. I'll go open the door, but its going to be slow going because my parents are still up."

He seemed to go rigid at the thought of possibly facing my dad, but it quickly passed as he said, "You don't have to do that. Turns out I bought a little something that'll help me out. You may want to stand back by the way."

I followed his directions and stepped away from the window. No sooner then I did, a three prong hook attached to a rope flew through my window and latched onto the sill. I shook my head at this and looked out the window.

Leo's POV

I _knew _this thing would come in handy! Batman, eat your heart out. I pull on the rope a couple of times to make sure it'll stick before I start climbing. After all, I don't want to fall and break my face or something.

I jump up and hold on tight. With effort, I raise start to climb up the rope and toward Aeris's window. Almost immediately it became very hard to breath, and it seemed that my lungs couldn't hold any air whatsoever. After what seemed like minutes, I shout up to Aeris, "Hey, how close am I?"

She laughed before saying, "Leo, your only a few hundred centimeters off the ground."

When she said that, I looked down to see if she was right. Sure enough, all of my effort and I wasn't even a meter up the rope. With a loud exhale, I let go. When I made the short trip back to the ground, I looked up at Aeris and said, "So... are we going through the front door or the back door?"

A Few Moments Later

Aeris opened the back door and beckoned me to come inside. I followed her in and saw that we were in the laundry room. I looked through the open door into the kitchen, and past that was the living room, where I could see Aeris's parents sitting on the couch. I gulped when I saw how big Aeris's dad was. I suddenly feel like this might have been a bad idea. When I told Aeris this she said, "Oh yeah, because your last idea was _so _brilliant."

"There's no need for sarcasm.", I pointed out.

She gave off an expression that said "typical Leo", before she grabbed my hand and made a shushing motion with her finger. I nodded and followed her lead as we made our way through the kitchen. In front of us was the living room, and to the left of us was a study that Aeris's dad used for down time. She nodded her head toward the study and we began to creep our way to the short hallway that led to it. We were halfway there when we heard the sound of a flushing toilet coming from a door right next to us. As soon as we heard it she pulled me into the study and we hid behind a desk. The door opened and as it did, I could hear Aeris muttering something about her brother, but I don't know, I was too frozen with fear to actually pay attention to much of anything.

Then I heard footsteps coming into the room before being muffled by the carpet. If I'm caught here I'm as good as dead. I don't want to be turned into a plant fertilizer, it just isn't right! Why did I abandon my grappling hook at the window, I'm pretty sure that Aeris could've pulled me up if she tried!

"Leo.", Aeris whispered

For that matter, it probably would've been safer too. I mean think about it, if you had a girlfriend with a psychotic dad who used to be in the military, would you rather try and throw a grappling hook at your girlfriend's window, or take a chance and sneak through the house and risk getting caught? Personally, I believe that the first option is more appealing.

"_Leo._", Aeris whispered, this time louder.

Although, I do have to admit I had a pretty good run. Sure I died with my virginity intact, never to know a woman's caress on my naked body, always doing everything by myself, but other than that I have no regrets. I mean, I beat all of the games I wanted to, fell in love with the girl of my dreams, and became one of the most notorious names on XBLA and the PSN all in the course of a lifetime. Oh, wait a minute, I also regret that I could never get past the first level in Tetris. Never could figure out the puzzle games, I had to find out the ending to Portal on YouTube.

"_Leo!_", Aeris hissed.

I finally break out of my train of thought to see that we're actually still alive. I look over at Aeris and say, "What just happened?"

She sighed, "My brother walked by and you zoned out for some reason."

I shrug, "Well can you blame me? If we were caught, I'd probably be castrated on the spot by your psycho dad."

She rolled her eyes, "Leo, you know as well as I do that my dad's relatively harmless."

"The keyword there being 'relatively'.", I pointed out.

She gave of an annoyed groan before saying, "Whatever. Lets just get this over with so that we can talk without having to worry about my parents catching us."

I nodded and she took that as her invitation to get out from behind cover and hug a wall next to a doorway that led to the foyer, and by extension, the stairs that led up to the second floor. She looked around the corner and motioned me along. I took a deep breath and we both crept around the corner and toward the stairs. We both had to crawl up the stairs in order to get up there and live. Although, I did get a pretty good view while we were doing so, if you know what I mean.

When we made it to her bedroom I let out a breath I didn't even know that I was holding. Aeris sat down on her bed and patted the spot next to her. I took the hint and sat down on the bed, never taking my eyes off of her. She started the conversation, "Alright, now that we got apologies out of the way, what else is there that you want to talk about?"

I smiled sheepishly I said, "Um... honestly, I really didn't think that I would get this far."

She rolled her eyes, "Of course you didn't. I shouldn't have thought that you would."

I shrugged, "Meh, doesn't matter much. After all, we're together again aren't we?"

She smiled, "Yeah.", she shifted a little, "So... if we don't have anything to talk about, now what?"

I started to yawn when she said this. After she finished, I said in a tired voice, "Well, I don't know about you, but I feel like I just pulled an all-nighter playing Call of Duty. I just want some sleep."

She nodded in agreement and we then proceeded to get under her covers, desperate to be close together again after what happened earlier today. I hugged her close to my body, and she put her arms around me as she rested her head under my chin. Sleep came quick, and soon it was like our first night together all over again.

About an Hour and a Half After the Last Scene

Charles's POV

There they are. Ripe for the taking. I chuckle darkly as I look in from the broken window, careful not to make my presence known. Stealth here is key after all, yes it is. I climb inside and attach my hooks to my belt and from a pouch in the belt I pull out two needles. Bright green liquid shines in the hypo, and I imagine that it was my reward from the doc, a red-gold liquid instead of the bright green. I shook my head. There's work to be done, yes there is.

I walked over to the bed and stood over the both of them, grinning wildly from under my mask. I focus on the pink one first. I brought the needle down slowly onto her neck and felt a shock go up my hand as it penetrated her skin. She flinched a little, but when I pushed down on the plunger, she stopped, yes she did. I did the same thing to the other one, and they were now ready to go.

I hoist them both over one of my shoulders and jump out the window, making my way to the manhole I came up through.

Jack's POV

It took me a while, but I found the son of a bitch. Well, he actually sort of found me, but I'm not picky. He was holding two... things over his shoulders. I think that they might be cats, but I'm not sure.

Anyway, I came across him walking down a street, away from all the street lights so that he wouldn't be seen. Although, occasionally he would get careless and I could catch glimpses of who he was holding. One of the cats seemed to be pink, and somehow familiar, as was the other one, a gray cat in blue clothes. Wait a minute... Leo? What the Hell would a splicer want with him? That question will have to wait I guess. Right now, I need to take this guy out and save those two... not here though. I have to see what he wants with them. Besides, he's probably working for someone too. He has to be, no Splicer could get out of Rapture without drowning. Wait, I recognize this place. He's going back to the sewer. Perfect. Just _perfect_. As if I didn't have enough trauma in a dark, cramped, dank, and smelly place already.

General POV

Once Charles reached the sewer he set the two cats down and opened the manhole cover. He placed both of them back on his shoulders and carefully (and awkwardly), climbed down the ladder, forgetting to replace the cover. After a few minutes of waiting, Jack came out of his hiding space and looked down the hole, wrinkling his nose in disgust as the smell hit his nostrils. He steeled himself however, and climbed down the hole after the Splicer.

The Prologue is at Hand

**Sorry if the last part seems a bit rushed, but I kinda wanted to get this out and have you guys read it. Originally I was going to have Leo and Aeris get involved in some *ahem* lewd activities, but it didn't really sit right with me. Then again, for some reason the whole chapter doesn't sit well with me. What do you guys think? **

**On another note, I might make another chapter of Awkward before I make another chapter to this, but before that I have to help out Lux with a new chapter in No Longer Alone, which I think is coming along nicely... even if there is only one chapter right now.**

**Well, I'd better get a move on before the FanFic police come around. See ya.**


	10. Chapter 10

**The Jack Ryan in this story is _not_, I repeat, _not_, from Tome Clancy's novels. This is the Jack Ryan from BioShock. Play it if you haven't, its an awesome game.**

Chapter 9: The Ties that Bind

2 Days Until Prologue

General POV

Many are the things that happen today, and many are the stories that need to be told as well. There are the two sets of desperate parents, one missing a heartbroken daughter, the other a lovestruck son. There is the hero, wishing to find his friends. There is the old man, willing to do nearly anything to destroy the man that created him. There is the scientist, only doing what he does out of greed. There is the assistant, following his master's will blindly, so he may only have his fix. And lastly, there is the two lovers, completely unaware of the danger they face due to a heavy amount of sedatives.

What are their stories? What needs to be told to understand the passing day? Well, it all starts with the parents of our lovers.

Kidnapped

Daniel Cole awoke with a yawn as he rose out of his bed. His wife, Sandra, was still asleep, understandable as it was only 5 A.M.. He shook his head as he left the room. He was always an early riser, even before the army, and he couldn't understand why he was the only person in the house that shared the trait.

He walked down the stairs and started to prepare himself breakfast. The eggs he made himself were bland and rather tasteless, the ham he put inside it the only flavor. As he ate, he took in the silence that the morning came with. This when he would just think, no interruptions whatsoever. The thing that was at the forefront of his thoughts was his daughter, still sleeping upstairs. It felt like so long ago when she was still his little girl, so innocent and pure, albeit rather standoffish at times. Now she was 22 and dating.

He rubbed his forehead and sighed. He had a hard time adjusting when she left. Sure, him and Sandra had a son to look after, but Aeris was his little girl. When she just up and left, it felt like a whole era of his life was over and a part of his soul just drained out of his body. Not only that, but seeing her leave with that _idiot_ of all people made him cringe. He had an inkling that they might get into a relationship and that it would probably end in disaster. He didn't know that it would end up bringing her back home. Of course, he was slightly glad it did, but he also felt a little guilty about feeling that way. He wanted to see Aeris happy, and he could tell that she wasn't really all that happy being here. He felt as though she actually _missed_ that dumbass.

He kept up this train of thought for a while, mulling over the whole situation. After a while, he had finished his eggs and got up. Looking at the clock he saw that an hour had just about passed since he woke up. Wake up call time. Daniel smirked to himself. This was easily his favorite part of the morning. He didn't know why, he just got a certain sense of satisfaction when he woke his family up and came down the stairs bitching and moaning about how he had woken them up from a dream of some sort or having to get out of their warm beds.

He climbed up the stairs and positioned himself in front of his bedroom door. He opened it and said, "Honey, it's time to wake up."

She groaned, "Goddammit Daniel, you enjoy this, don't you?"

"Yes.", he replied, totally serious.

She groaned again as he shut the door. Vincent was up next. He opened the door and said, "Hey Vince, wake up time."

"Oh c'mon, just five more minutes. We didn't even get to ride Splash Mountain yet.", Vincent replied in a nasally voice, evidently dreaming about something. Moving on to Aeris's door, he rapped sharply on it, saying, "Hey Aeris. Time to get up."

Nothing. There was no response, not even a sheet rustling. Odd, Aeris wasn't usually a heavy sleeper, at least she wasn't before she left. Deciding to go inside the room, he opened the door and looked to the bed. It was empty. He looked around the room and saw the mess it had become. The broken window, the shards of glass on the ground, and the hook hanging from the windowsill. He ran over to the window, not caring that his bare feet had been cut on the scattered pieces of glass.

He looked out the window, trying to find something, hoping against hope that someone was still in his yard. "Sandra!", he called out, both in grief and anger.

"Hold your horses, I'm getting up.", she groaned back.

"It's Aeris!", she yelled to her.

He got a near immediate reaction from her. She ran to the doorway, only to whisper, "Oh my God.", at the scene before her.

The next few minutes were those of confusion, Vincent eventually joining into the mix when he saw that his sister had disappeared. Daniel had eventually noticed that he had cut his feet, and he had Sandra bandage him up downstairs as he thought over the whole scene. Thinking over the whole thing, he realized that there had been no signs of struggle in the room, save for the window. That might've been caused by the hook, but still, Aeris would've woken up and called for him if that had been the case. It had to have been someone she knew, someone she trusted. He ran through his mind multiple times to find an answer, but he came up with only one answer: Leo. It had to be him, no one else could've been able to get in through the window except for him.

At this thought he breathed a sigh of relief. This meant that she was probably over at Leo's house or something. Of course, it would mean that she was back together with the idiot, but it was a much better thought then her being kidnapped and having unspeakable things happen to her.

After his feet had been bandaged, he told Sandra, "I think I may have a good idea where she is."

She looked eager to know, "Really? Where, where is she?"

He licked his lips. He didn't mind the boy that much, just so much as he didn't do anything to his Aeris. Although his wife on the other hand... she didn't like Leo at all. He vaguely thought that it might be due to all the jokes that Leo had made about her, but he stored that thought away. Deciding to tell the truth, he said, "With Leo."

She immediately stiffened. She then said, "That makes no sense. He's in Toronto, Aeris told me she didn't tell him where she went."

Daniel shrugged, "Well, it's the only explanation that makes sense."

Her tone became slightly hostile, "So, you think that that... _idiot_ kidnapped our daughter?"

"Well, not so much kidnapped. She didn't call for us, so it had to be someone that she trusted, and even if he did pretend to commit suicide and break her heart, she still did know him."

She grunted. She had to admit that his logic was sound, but she still didn't like the idea.

"Well,", Daniel had said after a slightly awkward silence, "I think I'll go over to the Leonardo's place."

Sandra shook her head, "Not with those feet you aren't. You probably can't even stand on them."

He scoffed, "Oh please. If my dad could storm Juno Beach on D-Day, then I sure as hell can walk on cut feet."

As soon as he started to stand up though, he felt a sharp pain course through his feet. As soon as this happened, he sat back down, sulking. He then turned his head to Sandra and said, "Don't you say a word."

She chuckled, "Just sit tight Bruce Willis, I'll go over to the Leonardo's place."

As she left he shouted back, "I thought I told you not to say a word!"

She smirked, despite the situation. As she went into the garage and into her car, she thought of the whole thing. From the near get-go, she hadn't really liked Leo all that much, so she didn't enjoy the prospect of her daughter going out with him. When she heard that Aeris was coming home after four years away, she felt glad, even if her coming home was her getting away from her then ex-boyfriend.

When she got to the Leonardo's, she braced herself for the worst (like, finding them naked in a bed together worst) and knocked on the door. Susan Leonardo answered, much to Sandra's relief. After all, Leo the Second was one of the many reasons she didn't like Leo the Third (it was an incident so horrible that I can't even write it into a summary. Just use your perverted imaginations for this one). Susan looked surprised, "Sandra? What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see if Aeris is here.", Sandra replied.

Susan raised an eyebrow, "Why would she be here?"

Sandra sighed, "Okay, look. I know that Leo followed my daughter here to get her back. They're not at our place, so Daniel thought that they would be here."

Susan looked confused, "Odd, I thought that he would be staying with her all night over there."

Pushing the thought of her daughter sleeping with Leo out of her head, she soon realized what Susan had said. Without another word, Sandra walked inside without consent and went to what she guessed was Leo's old bedroom. As it turns out, she was correct in her assumption, but that still didn't change the fact that the room was empty. With an unnaturally calm expression on her face, Sandra pulled out her cell phone and dialed her house. When her husband picked up she said, "Daniel? Yes, I would like you to call the police please. They aren't here that's why. I don't care if it hasn't been 24 hours yet, beg if you have to. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to scream now."

She hung up the phone. She then closed the door to the bedroom and as promised, screamed.

The Search

As Pantsman left his home, he sighed. It had been a full day since he last heard from his feline friends, and that was a very unusual occurrence. Normally he would have some sort of contact from them, usually in the form of a message over XBL, but after Leo left, he heard nothing from them. He didn't look like it, but he really did care about his friends, even if he did like to push their buttons. He wondered if they were okay, and whether or not the whole "suicide" thing was smoothed over. He shook his head in an attempt to get rid of the worry. For all he knew, they could've been having apology sex and hadn't even thought of contacting him.

Deciding to stop thinking about it altogether, he stepped outside and took off flying. Normally he would operate at night, but right now he needed to do some crime fighting in order to clear his head. His destination was the Toronto Police Station, as they usually would let him operate a radio there and dispatch officers. He wasn't doing anything personally, but every little bit helped out.

When he got there and walked through the front door, he was greeted by by the police warmly. He may not be a good superhero, but he was good enough to have a positive reputation with the police. He walked toward the nearest call station and took an empty desk. He put the headset on and began to do his work, hoping that something interesting would happen. And as it would turn out, something interesting did happen.

After many calls that he felt that the police could handle, the patch came in. The voice on the other end said, "This is the Ottawa Police Department, do you read me Toronto?"

Pantsman answered, "10-4 Ottawa, I read you. There a kidnapping going on?"

The voice scoffed, "Would there be any other reason? Anyway yes, we have a possible high risk missing persons report on two Toronto residents."

Pantsman leaned back in his chair and grabbed a nearby pen and pad and said, "Alright, lay it on me."

The voice cleared his throat, "Okay, we got a 207 with a Code 9 male, gray, and a Code 9 female, pink. Name of male is Lima-Echo-Oscar-November-Alpha-Romeo-Delta-Oscar, Lima-Echo-Oscar. Name of female is Charlie-Oscar-Lima-Echo, Alpha-Echo-Romeo-India-Sierra. You get all that?" (Translation: We have a kidnapping with a gray male cat and a pink female cat. Their names are Leo Leonardo and Aeris Cole.)

The desk was left empty as soon as the second name was being said. With look that seemed to be a cross between determination and slight anger, Pantsman left the station and took off to his apartment. He had to make a few calls.

About an Hour Later

In Pantsman's small apartment, a large demon and a burly Galka sat on the couch. In front of them, Pantsman was pacing, trying to collect his thoughts. The two things that were sitting on the couch were confused about why they were there. After all, they were only told that it was an emergency.

Suddenly, Pantsman stopped and said, "Leo and Aeris have been kidnapped."

The news was taken with the reaction, which was a blank stare and open mouths. Ternaldo was the first to speak, "What do you mean? How did dish even happen?"

Pantsman shrugged, "I dunno. All I know was that the both of them went to Ottawa, and now their both gone. I only found this out about an hour ago."

Krug spoke his two cents, "But how? Pink mean thing strong, she never be taken. It don't make sense."

Pantsman nodded, "I agree. I think that something fishy is going on here, and I intend to find out all about it, and you're both going to help me."

"But we don't have enough skillz! Even the skillz we do has aren't that good! It won't work!", Ternaldo protested.

Pantsman stared down Ternaldo. After a while he said in a accusing voice, "Y'know, there was a group of people that thought a lot like you Ternaldo. They were called Nazi's!", Ternaldo jumped at the accusation, "They were close-minded, hate-filled people that just wanted everything their way! Are you a Nazi Ternaldo!"

Ternaldo looked around confused before saying, "No?", in a questioning voice.

"ARE YOU A NAZI TERNALDO!", Pantsman shouted.

"No.", Ternaldo said in a more assured voice.

"CAUSE I DON'T WANT ANY NAZI'S AROUND HERE!"

"No, I am not a Nazi!", Ternaldo now shouted back. He then noticed Krug's accusing glare, "I'm not, I'm not, I'm not a Nazi!"

"Good.", Pantsman replied, satisfied, "Now let me tell you about a group of people who didn't give up. They were called Nazis."

"WHAT!", Ternaldo screamed, outraged.

"Give me a second Ternaldo.", Pantsman said, trying to calm his friend, "You see, they had no skills too. Everybody thought that they were weak. But you know what? They got pretty far didn't they?"

Krug and Ternaldo (his anger forgotten), started nodding their heads in an agreeing fashion, and punctuated each of Pantsman's sentences with a 'yeah!', "And you know why? Because they were tough. And determined. A lot of people said they were weak and stupid. Well, everybody says that we're weak and stupid, so that gives us a better advantage doesn't it! Think about it. First, we save our friends. Then, we save someone from a car wreak. And then we save another person, and another person, and another person, and another person. Until we have so much skill that nobody will be able to stop us. Then we go global. First, we'll start in Quebec. Then America. Then France. And then all the other nations that will need saving! And then...", he paused for dramatic effect.

As he paused though, Krug decided he would take a guess at what Pantsman was about to say. So, his guess was, "Pudding?"

"THE WORLD!", Pantsman shouted. This was received with cheers from the demon and the Galka. Pantsman continued, "And don't you let anyone tell you that you can't do it. So what are you two? Nazis? Or NAZIS!"

"WE'RE NAZIS!", the two yelled, jumping off of the couch.

Pantsman looked at them with pride, "Well then let's get out there and save Leo and Aeris!"

With a battle cry, all three of them ran out of the apartment and into the street, running all the way down to the airport. It was quite a site really, watching a man with pants on his head, a giant red, horned furry demon, and a large bear/lion/human thing running down the sidewalk and screaming at the top of their lungs. They didn't even notice that their entire trip to the airport took about five hours, they were that absorbed in their visions of grandeur.

When they finally did arrive at the airport, Ternaldo was the first in line to get tickets. The woman at the counter looked at them oddly, as they were still shouting their battle cry (albeit a little hoarsely now), but she did her job and said, "How may I help you?"

"Three tickets to Ottawa!", Ternaldo ordered.

After typing something into her computer, she then asked, "May I ask who you are?"

After nodding and smiling, Ternaldo shouted, "We're Nazis!"

Thirty Minutes Later

"We're Nazis, you said. While in the middle of an airport no less. You suck Ternaldo.", Pantsman said angrily.

They were outside the airport under the supervision of airport security. Ternaldo was struggling with his handcuffs as he shouted defensively, "Hey, ish not my fault! I thought that it would okay, the Nazis have been disbanded for over seventy yearsh!"

Pantsman rolled his eyes, "It was only a speech to prove a point Ternaldo. I didn't tell you to take it seriously."

"In man-bear-lion's defense, you never say to not take seriously.", Krug pointed out.

Pantsman groaned, "Oh, shut up you two! Honestly, the one time I decide to include you helping out, it blows up right in my face. I just thought that you could help me find Leo and Aeris, but no, you fuck everything up, as per usual. At least it can't get any worse."

At that moment, a cop car pulled up, no doubt to take them to the local station. Out of the car climbed a burly, blonde officer that was instantly recognizable. Schwartzen-Cop smirked when he saw who he was arresting and said, "Well, what do we have here? The dirtbag superhero and his friends. This day is getting better and better."

With a sigh, Pantsman mumbled, "Aw, fuckberries."

After the officer and perps climbed into the car, the ride to the station was slow and uneventful. Eventually, a conversation was struck up when the insane cop said, "So, what were you trying to do? Blow up the plane and all the people who didn't think that being a Nazi was cool?"

"No!", Pantsman shouted, "We were really trying to get to Ottawa."

Schwartzen-Cop scoffed, "Why, so you could participate in a turf war?"

"WE ARE NOT NAZIS!", Pantsman said firmly and loudly, "We were going to find our kidnapped friends."

"Oh yeah, I heard that report.", the insane cop said, "Serves em' right really, what with playing all those horrible games."

"Hey, shut up! They have a life together, and I just don't want to see them dead thank you."

Suddenly, Schwartzen-Cop's tone became curious, "What do mean by them having a life together?"

Pantsman was slightly confused by Schwartzen-Cop's new found curiosity, but he rolled along with it, "If you have to know, I mean that they're an item now."

This was the first time that Ternaldo heard this news, but he doesn't really matter right now, what did was Schwartzen-Cop's reaction. After hearing the news, he stepped on the gas pedal and turned in a direction that Pantsman knew led away from the police station. After this, Krug (who was the only one not dazed by this) asked, "Where you taking us?"

"To Ottawa.", the officer said simply.

Pantsman was obviously confused by this, "What? Why are we going there?"

"To get your friends back of course.", he replied.

"But you hate them!", Pantsman shouted, upset that the status quo was going way off kilter.

Schwartzen-Cop nodded, "True. Although, I must put aside my hatred in order to save them, for to see an unconsummated relationship end in tragedy...", he sniffed, "It breaks my heart."

All three of the friends looked at the bipolar cop as though he did something that made him seem like a complete stranger, but this was mostly because he did. Pantsman snapped out of his trance though, and said, "Could you drop us off at a payphone or something? I'd use my cellphone but the batteries ran out and my hands are cuffed. That, and these two don't own cellphones. Something about conspiracy theories and the like."

Schwartzen-Cop nodded and pulled over to a nearby payphone. After getting the cuffs taken off and fishing out all the necessary change to make a call, he dialed a number and waited for the other end to pick up.

The Tap

_"Hello, is this the Leonardo residence?"_

_ "Yes, may I ask who's speaking?"_

_ "This is Pantsman."_

_ "Oh, hello Scott. Are you still pretending to be a superhero?"_

_ "For the last time Mrs. Leonardo, I really am a superhero."_

_ "Sure, lets go with that. Anyway, why are you calling?"_

_ "I'm coming over to Ottawa with a group of my friends. We know about Leo and Aeris."_

_ "How did you... I guess it doesn't matter. We need all the help we can get. Aeris's parents are worried sick, and frankly so am I._

_ "What about Mr. Leonardo?"_

_ "Oh, I'm pretty sure he's worried too, but he's in denial right now. It's just like when he heard that John Lennon died, he said it was a hoax. Took him a full year to accept the truth."_

_ "I'm not going to pretend to know who that is, so I'm just going to say that you can expect us in a day or two."_

_ "Why don't you just fly here?"_

_ "Well, we would but... just turn on the news tonight."_

_ "Alright. We'll be expecting you."_

With a click, the phone hung up and the laboratory was quiet once more. The scientist started talking to himself, "Nothing can ever be simple can it. Well, at least I had the foresight to have Charles tap a few phones."

Deciding not to think about his considerable fortune in that Pantsman used a tapped phone, let alone a payphone (**A/N: Don't look at me like that. It's a plot hole, but at least I'm not making any excuses.**), he pulled out a high frequency radio and said into it, "Charles! Are you there?"

There was a burst of static before the voice of his assistant say, "Yeah doc. I got the subjects, and I think I'm already halfway there, yes I am."

"Good.", the scientist said, "The superhero from Toronto shouldn't be a problem anymore. He left for Ottawa just now."

"So may I take a break? Even with all the Sports-Boost, I can't carry them in one go."

The scientist sighed, "Very well. Just don't take it for too long. A few hours at the most."

"Thanks Sir!", Charles said with happiness.

The scientist rolled his eyes and shut off the radio. He returned to his work. Only a few more finishing touches, and Feral would be complete. He would get his money no matter the outcome, and Charles would get his fix. It was a win-win situation for him. That, and his confidence was at an all time high. With both dangers to his project out of the city he was operating in out of the picture, he knew he could work in safety.

The Hunt

Jack Ryan made his way through the sewers, barely even knowing were he was going. All he had to go by was the reverberation of the Splicer's footsteps echoing off the walls. It was much harder than it sounded, and Jack had to strain his ears in order to hear the directions that the footsteps were coming from. After a while, his eyes had started to adjust, making it easier to avoid the sewer channel, and in turn the rather unpleasant things inside it.

After a while of tailing the Splicer, he eventually stopped hearing the footsteps. Not one to panic, Jack was nevertheless worried about loosing the Splicer and the two cats that he was carrying. Trying to regain his composure, he looked up, and saw through a grate that it was about noon, as he could see the sun right through it. After this, he took a deep breath (something he regretted doing), and pushed on, determined to kill the Splicer and save the two cats he had taken hostage. He didn't expect that it would be so easy.

After turning a corner, he literally stumbled upon them. He had tripped over Leo and narrowly avoided falling on top of Splicer. Jack stepped back, hoping not to wake it up. Stepping around the corner he recently came around, he thought of what to do next. The Splicer and the cats were right around the corner, he could just take the two of them and go back topside. "_No._", he thought, "_This doesn't make any sense. Why would a Splicer want to kidnap two cats? Not only that, but how the fuck did a Splicer get all the way here on the West Coast? Unless... he's here. This thing will lead me right to him. I'll save the two then. If he's anything like I think he is, then I'd bet my wrench that those two aren't in a natural sleep. Leo should've woken up by now after all. Now I'll just have to wait until that Splicer wakes up._"

Looking back around the corner, Jack got his first good look at the Splicer. His face was mostly obscured by a rabbit masquerade mask, but from what he could see, the Splicer's lips seemed to have disappeared long ago, showing nothing but teeth and gums. Other than that, his appearance seemed to be cleaner than that of a normal Splicer, his tattered suit not having a speck of blood on it, almost as if he had never killed someone before. The only thing that seemed to be in perfect condition on the Splicer seemed to be a trilby hat, which was definitely offset by all the other clothes.

Jack then turned his attention to the cats. Looking at them now, he could safely assume that they were drugged, their breathing being rather slow and drawn out. "_That's definitely Leo._", thought Jack, "_I'd recognize that blue bell anywhere._"

He then went back around the corner and sat down. He didn't get any sleep ever since his nap on the plane, and he was dead tired. If he was going to fight a Splicer, than he would have to save his energy. Hugging his calves, he rested his head in between the space in his knees, and went right to sleep.

**Hooray! The chapter is finished! I'm sorry if any of this seems rushed, bad, or all around mediocre. I am on the run from the FanFic police after all, I wrote most of this while running. I need to find a place to hide. Like Freiza Planet 419. No one ever goes to Freiza Planet 419, not ever since it's species miraculously repopulated. If any of you get that, I will be very happy. Also, the little Nazi speech that Pantsman made earlier was not my idea. It was a reference. I'm just so chock full of those I don't know what to do with them. Oh well, Read, Review, Criticize, and Correct. I am open to all suggestions!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Before this chapter begins, you must be warned. There is a sex scene within this chapter, and if you don't like that, then when it says to skip, you might want to skip.**

Chapter 11: Explanations

1½ Days Until Prologue

Jack's POV

When I woke up, I realized that I didn't have a single dream about Rapture. That's a first in I don't know how long. As I got up from my fetal position, I noticed that my muscles were incredibly stiff, no doubt from the way I was sleeping. As I was stretching, I looked up though a grate and see that it was sometime in the afternoon, at least 6:30.

I then remember what I came down here to do in the first place. I brace myself, only just now realizing that I didn't even have my freaking wrench with me. Looks like I'll have to fight bare fisted. I turn the corner, prepared to face the Splicer... only to find nobody there. No cats, no Splicer, and definitely no trace of where they went. "Dammit!" I shouted to myself.

The Splicer must've moved while I was asleep! I feel like such an idiot! Now how the Hell am I going to track them! What am I saying, none of that matters now! I _will _find them, and I _will _save them. The only question is how. I look down at the floor, hoping to get some sort of inspiration. Then I see it. A trail of intermixed pink and gray fur. I smirked to myself. They were shedding. Of course they would be, cats (anthropomorphic or otherwise) shed all the fucking time. I roll my neck to get the last of the kinks out before I start to follow the trail.

Topside, On the Road

General POV

"So, cell phones are used to destroy brain cells so that the people who really control the government can rule over us easier?", Schwartzen-Cop repeated to Ternaldo, disbelieving.

"Ish a total conspiracy! It was planned out by the Templars and Organization XIII to take over the world and harness the power of the Reapers.", Ternaldo explained.

Pantsman rolled his eyes and shook his head. Honestly, sometimes video games could do more harm than good to a person, especially people who were as impressionable as Ternaldo. He would've stopped paying attention long ago, but this was the only form of entertainment he had.

Looking out the window, Pantsman saw that the landscape was moving rather quickly past them. At first, he was worried that somewhere along the line they might get rammed into by a huge semi, but then he realized an important detail: he was riding with Schwartzen-Cop. You might think that this would be a great cause for discomfort, but Schwartzen-Cop had a talent for making things get out of his way, and cars were not excluded. Plus, when he thought about it, they were making great time. Traffic, signs, and signals were thoroughly ignored, the insane cop's immunity being very handy. They would be saving Leo and Aeris before they knew it.

As soon as Pantsman broke out of this thought process, he realized that the car had become silent. This was only because he was alone in the car. Once again looking out the window, he noticed that they had stopped at a gas station. Understandable, as they were going at breakneck speeds that even a cheetah would blush at. Sighing, he leaned back into the seat, interlacing his fingers behind his head. He was about to close his eyes and rest when Schwartzen-Cop opened the driver's side door and stepped inside. What followed was an awkward silence, which was also masked with annoyance and relative dislike. Pantsman spoke first, "Look, I know you don't like me, and you know I don't like you."

"Yeah, what's your point?", Schwartzen-Cop asked.

Pantsman sighed, "Well, I guess since we'll be working together we may as well make some kind of agreement. Like, no insulting me or my friends."

The cop shrugged, "Sure, anything to get those two back quicker."

Pantsman had had enough of this, "Okay, stop that."

"Stop what?"

"Stop acting like you like them. You hate them. Why are you doing this?"

Schwartzen-Cop looked away, "I told you. I don't what the thought of an unconsummated relationship on my mind."

"Yeah, right.", Pantsman scoffed, "And I save people because I don't want their deaths to haunt me... wait."

Schwartzen-Cop ignored Pantsman's backfired retort, "It just doesn't seem right to me that when two people love each other that they don't actually get invested and fall in love, and get married, and all that other good stuff."

Pantsman recovered from his failed attempt at a retort and said, "Yeah, but why? Why do you want to do that?"

Oddly enough, the usually hyperactive and misanthropic cop sighed. Not a defeated one, rather a sad one. He looked at Pantsman and said, "Alright, I'll tell you, but you will not tell anyone else."

Pantsman raised an eyebrow, surprised by how easily he was able to get his answers. Schwartzen-Cop then began to tell his story, "When I first started working in the TPD, I was a completely different person. I was lax, I was careless. I was barely involved in my work, and when I actually was, it was only because I didn't want to get fired. Then I got this partner. She was a pretty, nice young girl. I guess that was what drew me to her. Anyway, we were on a job near the docks. We got a tip that someone might be coming to steal a shipment of some sort of cargo to sell on the black market. We saw someone enter the warehouse, and we went inside to investigate. I told her to stay in the car, but she didn't listen. You can probably tell where this is going, right?", Pantsman nodded, "Well, to spare you the gory details, turned out the guy was packing heat and he wasn't afraid to shoot. I overpowered him right after he... got her. And do you know what cargo we were protecting?", Pantsman shook his head, "It was a shipment of video games. Not only that, but the game that was being shipped was fucking Chronicles of Riddick. She lost her life trying to protect a worthless game. To this day it pisses me off. Not only that, but I had finally asked her to dinner that night too. Is that salt on the wound or what?"

Pantsman was surprised that Schwartzen-Cop was actually being _this _open with him, especially considering that just a few minutes ago they still hated each others guts. Pantsman just had to ask, "Why are you telling me this? You hate me."

Schwartzen-Cop smiled in an unamused way, "I'll be honest, I haven't exactly been what you would call sane after that incident. I became severally bipolar and schizophrenic. The only reason I'm not in a padded cell is because of my dad. He has really powerful connections, and he wants me to stay on the force. Right now I'm in one of my better moods, so I'm being a bit more accepting of you and your friends."

Pantsman looked out the window for a while, then said, "Look, Schwartzen-Cop. We've had our differences before, but that doesn't mean we can't work together. You spilled your guts to me, so I feel that this is appropriate.", he turned to Schwartzen-Cop and outstretched his hand, "Truce?"

Schwartzen-Cop looked at the hand and smirked. He grabbed it and shook, "Truce."

After this, it wasn't long before Ternaldo and Krug showed up, both of them carrying various snack foods and soft drinks. After the tank had been filled and the cop car pulled out of the station, Ternaldo said, "So, where was I? Oh yesh, the cell phone conspiracy!"

"We don't want to hear it!", was the simultaneous reply from the front seats.

They would stop a few more times along the way, but none compared to what had happened at the first station. Enemies turned to friends, and a new partnership that would last for many years was formed. Yet, this is another story. We must go back to the main story.

1 Day Until Prologue

Underground

Jack had followed the trail at a quick pace, trying his best to catch up with the Splicer. It helped that it was starting to turn to day once more, the soft lights shining through the grates a testament to this fact.

The after following the trail of fur for nearly a half a day, Jack was starting to get tired, yet he could care less about that. He needed to destroy the abomination that had kidnapped two innocent people, and possibly the person that had brought the Splicer here. They both needed to die. There was no other option. Maybe if it weren't for that place, it would all be different. Maybe if Rapture didn't exist...

What would've happened if Rapture didn't exist? He certainly wouldn't be around, he was created there. His daughters would all belong to different people. Andrew Ryan could've helped to destroy the "parasites" that plagued our world via politics. Fontaine could be running a crime ring somewhere in New York. Tenenbaum might be working in some genetics lab in Germany. The Splicer he was chasing right now could've been a productive member of society. All in all, life would've been much better had Rapture never existed. Jack shook his head of those thoughts. It was no use thinking like that, Rapture did, and still does, exist, and no amount of thought would change that.

He had only just made this realization when he realized that the fur trail had stopped and that there was artificial light in the sewer. He looked up, which was a little had to do considering that he had been following a trail of fur on the ground for over a day, and noticed an electric lamp. Jack immediately went up to the lamp and examined it. It was hanging off of a hook, and said hook had a space under it. No doubt about it, this was where the Splicer went.

Jack's POV

I take a step back from the wall, certain that this was where the Splicer I was chasing was beyond. With a stoic look on my face, I tare open the seam of my sweater and grabbed a relatively small box out of it. After carefully undoing the lid, I look inside. A large hypodermic needle with a red viscous liquid resided in the box, alongside it other hypos, except the color blue. The blue hypos are labeled, "EVE", while the red one has the label, "INCINERATE!", with a picture of a lit match. I take the large needle labeled, "INCINERATE!" and place the box on the ground gingerly before looking back at the needle in my right hand.

God, it's been so damn long since I used these things. I can only imagine how bad the kickback will be when I actually inject the stuff, because the last time that happened I was almost gutted by Splicers and stomped on by a Big Daddy. I'm a little worried by how this'll turn out, but I need to kill that Splicer and save those cats. I stare at the hypo for a while and take a deep breath. I position the needle above my left wrist and bit my lower lip to stifle any sound I might make, just in case someone could hear me from behind the wall.

I push the needle into my wrist and feel a jolt go up my right arm, as well as a slight pain in my left wrist. I hesitantly push the plunger and ever-so slowly, the Plasmid gets injected into my system. For a second, I didn't feel anything. Then the pain. Dear God, the pain. My vision starts to waver as I stare at my left arm. It felt as though it were being doused in napalm, put into a furnace, then stabbed several times by white-hot knives. My flesh looked like it was burning off, charring and becoming black. Red lines were going through my veins, and it felt as though my blood was replaced with fire. And my body didn't like that.

I give off a muffled scream, desperately trying to find a way to make the pain go away. I immediately notice the sewer channel next to me. It didn't even cross my mind that it was the most disgusting thing I could do right now, all I could think about was making the pain stop. I jump into the channel, but as I do, I black out from the pain.

10 Months Ago

_Jack was sitting in his easy chair, reading a rather large book, looking content. He was home alone, and enjoying every minute that the silence bought him. Looking up from his book, he glanced around his study, taking in all the objects that had been encased behind glass panes in display cases the went around the wall. Guns of all kinds were shown in the cases, from a Webley Mk IV pistol, to a large crossbow. _

_ Going back to his book, Jack was about ready to read once more when the telephone started to ring. Jack put the book down and reached for the phone, all the while saying, "It never fails, right when I just get back to reading."_

_ He picked up the receiver and and asked, "May I ask who's calling?"_

_ "Is this Jack Ryan?", replied the heavily accented German woman on the other end._

_ "Yes, who is this?", Jack replied cautiously, not recognizing the voice on the other end._

_ "It's me Jack, Brigid Tenenbaum."_

_ Jack stiffened, now realizing who was calling him, and replied in a somewhat irritated fashion, "Dr. Tenenbaum. What are calling me for?"_

_ Tenenbaum sighed. It was no secret that Jack held her in some contempt, after all, she did mentally condition him, along several little girls, and had a direct hand in ruining the lives of many people. She wasn't bitter about his feelings toward her, but it was still slightly annoying. She continued to talk, "There is something important I need to tell you about."_

_ "Well, what is it?", Jack asked, this time slightly kinder._

_ Tenenbaum sighed once more, "Jack, he's back. Dr. Suchong is back."_

The Lab

General POV

Leo and Aeris awoke with a groan, their deep slumber finally vision was blurry at first, but as it cleared up, it became more and more apparent that this was not Aeris's bedroom. They were in a blank room, no furnishings, no paint, just a large cement square with only a single florescent light-bulb to light the entire room, a door that was more than likely locked, and a vent high above them to let in air. As their senses returned to normal, the door unlocked and in walked a short Asian man with thick, black-rimmed glasses and greasy black hair, which looked to be receding. He had a menacing smirk on his face, and despite his short stature, he still managed to be intimidating toward the two confused cats.

Aeris was the first to speak. Her voice was groggy, but it still conveyed a tone of confusion and slight fear, "Who are you? What do you want from us?"

The man grinned and chuckled slightly, amused by the question he had just been asked, "Funny. That has been the forth time I've been asked that question.", He walked closer to them, the hard soles of his shoes making a horribly loud noise with each step. He stared directly at her, a wicked smile on his face, "My name is Dr. Yi Suchong, and all I ask of you is your... cooperation in an experiment I'm conducting."

At the name, 'Yi Suchong,', Leo immediately perked up, recognizing the name, "Wait, wait, wait, you're Dr. Suchong? As in Rapture's Best and Brightest, Dr. Suchong?"

He turned to Leo, smirked, and bowed mockingly, "In the flesh. I was wondering if any of my subjects would make the connection."

Something clicked in Aeris's mind. She too recognized the name the man gave her, and she knew that what he said made no sense. For one thing, he was supposed to be dead, but that paled in comparison to the next fact. He was a video game character. He wasn't supposed to exist. Just as she was about to say something to this effect, Suchong cut her off, "Yes, I can tell you know where I come from as well, and as such you must be doubting my existence. Let me assure you, I am quite real, as is everything that your silly little game tells you of Rapture."

It just didn't add up. Sure, Caspar made some sense, it was the End of Time after all, the end of the multiverses. This was impossible. As Leo and Aeris tried to wrap their minds around this (Aeris more so than Leo), Suchong spoke once more, "No doubt you are confused. I'll tell you why I'm here then."

He stepped back and straightened his tie in an attempt to look casual. It still didn't change the fact that the two fear-stricken cats had just noticed that his lab coat was stained with blood. A _lot _of blood. Suchong grinned as he began to explain, "Many years ago, as you may know, I was working on the bond between a Little Sister and a Big Daddy. After smacking a Little Sister, it triggered the bond in a nearby Big Daddy and I was killed. It should've ended there. However, someone had taken an interest in my work before I began developing the Protection Bond. They were impressed with my work on Plasmids such as Enrage and my expertise in mental conditioning."

He started to pace around the room as he recollected his story, "The only problem was, I was dead and on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. However, my employer had certain... abilities, which allowed me to return to life and get back on land. Ever since, I've been making him a weapon, and you two are the last subjects."

Aeris finally got over the fact that she was talking with someone that didn't exist, but that didn't mean that he still shouldn't exist, so she asked in a hard voice to mask her worry, "That still doesn't explain why you're here when you should be in a video game."

He nodded, "Yes, that is a valid point. However, it can be cleared up rather quickly. I too, thought it odd that a game would be made about Rapture, so I did some investigating. Turns out that most of the development team that made the game had parents that lived in Rapture and escaped. Their stories fueled their children's minds and they created a fairly accurate representation of Rapture. It helped that Jack Ryan was a friend of Creative Director's family, giving them an even better understanding of the place."

Leo had then realized something, "Jack Ryan? I met a guy on my flight to Ottawa named Jack Ryan..."

"Yes,", Suchong confirmed, "Jack Ryan, the player character, decided to spend the rest of his days in mainland Canada, somewhere that was quite a distance to the Atlantic."

Now that Leo thought about it, he really should've guessed who Jack Ryan was right away. Five daughters, all of whom were adopted, saying that they were hard to raise at first, not to mention the appearance of a veteran. It all made sense, except for one point, "Wait, he said one of his daughters was getting married. The game took place in 1960. She would be fifty years old."

Aeris and Suchong looked at him oddly. Aeris temporarily forgot where they were and said, "Seriously, Leo? You don't think that older people can get married?"

"He said she was the last to be!", Leo defended

"Yeah, but sometimes people are late bloomers! It may take a while.", Aeris retorted.

Leo still wouldn't give up, "That's not the point! I'm just saying that being fifty plus years old isn't exactly prime marriage material to most people."

Aeris was about to reply, but Suchong chose this moment to intervene, "Much as I would like to hear you argue, I have a tight schedule to keep. Seeing as how I'm in a generous mood, I will answer one more question."

Aeris was the one that took him up on his offer, "Alright. You said we were the last test subjects. Were there any more?"

Suchong smirked wickedly, "Why yes, eight in fact. All of them humans and all of them kidnapped by my assistant. You may know him, he goes by the name, "Turncoat Slasher" on the surface. It is a surprisingly easy way to get rid of the bodies."

"B-B-B-Bodies?", Leo stuttered, fear slowly taking over.

Suchong nodded, "Indeed. This is an experiment after all. There are going to be a few casualties."

Aeris kept her straight face despite her fear and said, "So the chances of us surviving are-"

She was cut off by Suchong, "Slim at best.", he smiled once more, "Well, that's all the time I have. I'll see you in the morning."

And with that, Suchong left the room, the door shut, and Leo and Aeris were alone once more.

12 Hours Until Prologue

"I'm hungry.", Leo complained.

"I know.", said Aeris, slightly irritated.

"I'm thirsty.", Leo continued.

"I know.", Aeris said, slightly more annoyed.

"I'm bored.", Leo whined.

"I _know_.", Aeris growled, anger slowly replacing annoyance.

"I'm cramped", Leo added.

"_I __**Know**_.", Aeris said, on the brink of a meltdown.

"I'm tired.", Leo stated.

At this point, Aeris lost it, "GODDAMMIT LEO! I FUCKING KNOW ABOUT EVERY SINGLE COMPLAINT YOU HAVE! NOW WILL YOU PLEASE SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

Leo recoiled, surprised by her reaction. Granted, it was slightly expected, but she seemed to be on edge recently, and for good reason too. She rubbed her forehead, "Sorry. Its this whole thing. We've been stuck in this box for I don't know how long, and it isn't healthy."

Leo nodded, "Its okay. The only reason I was complaining was because it kept from thinking about... y'know."

She nodded solemnly, "Yeah. I know."

There was silence for a while. The air was tense, no doubt because of the prospect of imminent death hung in air like some sort of bad perfume. The only thing they could do was sit around and wait for the inevitable. Not only that, but despite the fact that their demise was coming quite soon, they were downright _bored_. They actually half hoped that Suchong would come and get them so that something would actually happen.

Thoughts were (surprisingly) running through Leo's mind as the minutes turned to hours. Eventually, his mind settled on a subject that he couldn't shake off. He decided to tell Aeris what he was thinking, "Hey Aeris?"

"Yeah?", she asked, looking up from a speck that she had found rather interesting a few moments before.

"Do you regret anything?", Leo asked, not missing a beat.

The question caught Aeris off guard. Since when would Leo ask something like that? Then she remembered that he matured into someone she could almost be proud to call a boyfriend. She thought about the question for a while and said, "A lot of things, I guess. I regret not being able to say goodbye to my family. I regret not beating all the games that I haven't beaten yet. I regret..."

"What?", Leo asked, curious.

"Its nothing.", Aeris said quickly, turning her head away from Leo, a blush on her white cheeks.

"You wouldn't say you regretted it if it wasn't nothing.", Leo argued, "Now what was it?"

Aeris sighed, "Alright. I regret... not getting into a serious relationship with you."

Leo was confused, "I thought that we were pretty serious about our relationship."

Aeris shook her head, "No Leo. I mean... _really _serious."

Leo then understood what she meant, "Oh... that kind of serious."

Again, there was silence, this time awkward. They sat on opposite sides of the room, Aeris once again focusing on her speck, and Leo drawing imaginary shapes on the floor. After a long time, Leo spoke once more, "It can still happen."

"What?", Aeris asked, not quite sure what he meant.

"We can still... you know, do it.", Leo said, somewhat bluntly.

Aeris was slightly taken aback by his suggestion, "Leo, I don't think that this is exactly the best place to be doing... that."

Leo shook his head, "Aeris, we're probably going to die in a few hours. Why not spend that time doing the one thing that we haven't done yet?"

Aeris sighed once more. Then, she looked up at Leo and grinned, one of her fangs poking out from her lip. Leo knew that grin all to well: it was the grin she gave when she was going to do something downright evil. She stood up and strutted over to him, trying to make herself as sexy as possible in her unflattering pajamas, messy hair, and the current situation. Leo looked positively shocked that she actually took him up on his proposal, but he wasn't usually one to complain.

**You may want to skip ahead a little if you don't like the sexy time. If you don't like it and do read it, don't hate me, I gave you fair warning.**

When she got to him she sat down next to him, grinning her trademark grin. She motioned to hug him, and as soon as her arms went around his body, their lips locked. Leo wasn't ready at first, but soon he got into it, also wrapping his arms around the one he loved and kissing her back with the equal amount of passion she was giving him.

The kiss soon became less of a kiss and more of a make-out session. Their rough tongues met and danced, causing a moan to be muttered by the both of them. This was bliss. Despite everything going on, it was still bliss.

When the kiss broke, both Leo and Aeris were breathing heavily, finally allowing oxygen into their lungs once more. They then started to take their clothes off when they caught their breath. There would be no time for foreplay, they didn't know whether Suchong would come and get them in twenty seconds or twenty hours. All there was time for was the actual act, something of which the both of them had minimal experience in. After taking off all their clothes, they took a moment to admire each other, in what was sure to probably be the first and last time.

Feeling slightly joking, Aeris swished her tail around and struck a rather... shall we say kinky pose. Immediately Leo was entranced, completely forgetting that they were in a large concrete box. As she did her pose, Aeris asked, "Sexy, no?"

All Leo could do was mutter gibberish and say nothing coherent. Aeris smiled, looked down, and shook her head, "I'll take that as a yes."

By this point, you could tell how much Leo was aroused just by looking at him. Not only was there a slight trickle of blood coming out his nose, but there was also the more apparent, and much better to look at (depending on who you are anyway) erection. From what she could tell, he wasn't that big, but then again, he wasn't that small either. "_Ah, who cares_,", she thought, "_its my first time and I'm going to die soon. I can't be choosy._"

Leo just looked at Aeris with a look of shock and slight stupidity. He had a goofy smile on his face, marred somewhat by his flowing blood. The blood flowing from his nose I mean. He may have seen many, _many_, naked cats before on the internet and in his dirty magazines, but this? Nothing beat the genuine article. "_She's beautiful._" he thought with absolute sincerity, "_Her boobs are... wow. Her figure is... wow. Her... _everything_ is just wow._"

Ironically, despite their forwardness earlier, they were actually slightly reluctant to do the deed. Not that they didn't want to do it, God no, after 22 years it was about fucking time. Yet that was also the reason they didn't do it: they really didn't know _how_. Sure they knew the basic motions, put tab A into slot B and repeat until both are satisfied, but that was the extent of it. Of course, Leo's computer taught him a lot of things, but still, it wasn't like he could ever do that to Aeris. She'd kill him if he did any of those things he saw.

Eventually, Aeris said, "So... should I lie down or something?"

"Yeah.", Leo said, breath quickening.

So, Aeris did just that. She rested herself on the ground, waiting for Leo to join her. He did, and he did so wide-eyed, only now just wrapping his head around the fact that he was about to lose his virginity. While the front of his mind was just thinking of nothing besides the beautiful cat in front of him, the back of his mind was screaming, "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Aeris was thinking a little differently. Unlike Leo, who thought of sex as something of a joke, she felt that this was the most romantic thing one could do for another person. Sure, she knew that Leo wasn't the most romantic guy... okay, not romantic in the slightest, but she still hoped that one iota of his being felt the same way she did. As it turned out, he did. Yet it was miniscule compared to the aforementioned, "Woo."

He set himself above Aeris, ready to do the deed. He then asked, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Aeris groaned and rolled her eyes, "Leo, why would you ask that? We made out, we're both naked, I'm on the ground, and you're on top of me."

"Leo shifted a little, "I was just wondering is all."

"Yeah, because when you do that, it totally means something else. Just fuck me already you idiot.", Aeris said, using gratuitous amounts of biting sarcasm.

Though slightly offended, Leo obliged. Slowly, he lowered himself, and he felt her. It made them both moan in pleasure, and they wanted more. Then... if that make-out session was bliss, this was utter Nirvana. They would forever remember this night as the first night their love took form. To them, it was beautiful. In reality however, it was clunky. Hey, the first time is never the best time.

Leo and Aeris's moans were loud, the insurmountable amount of pleasure making them lose control of themselves. Leo's motions were way too large, and more then once, he actually slipped out. It got so bad that Aeris shouted, "Oh, for fuck's sake!", threw Leo to the ground and mounted him instead. Of course, she was just as unruly, but Leo didn't say a word; he didn't want Aeris to stop partway through only to leave him hanging.

Soon, they felt the mounting pressure of an orgasm. They could feel it getting greater and greater with each motion. Leo hugged Aeris as they neared their climax, wanting to be even closer to her, if that were even possible. She hugged Leo as well, scratching his back as she did so. Somehow, Leo didn't mind the pain that she was giving her, all his energy focusing instead on giving her as much pleasure as possible. Then, it hit for the both of them. Each screamed the others name in their sweet, sweet ecstasy.

**Sexy Time ends here.**

Aeris collapsed on top of Leo, her energy spent. Leo then rolled to his side, setting her on the ground. They just stared at each other, basking in the afterglow of their orgasm. Leo drew Aeris closer to himself, hugging her once more. He then whispered, "I love you, Aeris."

She smiled and muttered, "I love you too, Leo.", before going to sleep. Leo smiled as well, and also went to sleep. The fact that their death was coming quite soon never once crossed their minds.

**Well, that that for this chapter. Actually, I was planning for it to be longer, but I didn't want to keep you guys waiting for me. **

**So yeah, the sex scene. I always wanted to do one of those. Granted, I want to do one with much, _much _more detail, but I'm was already toeing the T-rating this and Awkward.**

**Speaking of Awkward, that'll be the next story updated. In related news I'm sure many of you heard that FootPains has given up on writing Paying in Blood. This is relevant because I now have the rights to the story. However, don't expect that out anytime soon, I'm swamped enough as it is. Although, I plan to really start work when I finish at least one of my other projects.**

**On another topic altogether, this goes out to the missing authors *Cues Titanic Music***

**DELTA2FOUR**

**MISTER FRAG112**

**INP Commander**

**FanFicwriter27**

**Crazygamer 2**

**PrototypeLova**

**TannerCain**

**Penblade the Bard**

**ridersjet**

**All of these authors have not updated anything for quite some time now. I can only hope that they are alright, and I mean this in all sincerity. Right now, I would make a joke about the FanFiction Police, but I need to know: are you still out there? Please, someone, contact us. Whether or not people consider your stories good or not, please come back. It is a shame to me to see an author stop writing.**

**Let;s end this Author's Note on a high note though. I encourage all those who think that you can write, to write. Sure, you may not be good at it now, but give it some time, you'll only get better.**

**So, I'll be seeing you guys. **


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: The Beginning is Nigh

General POV

6 Hours Before Prologue

"Is it done yet, doc?", asked the gravelly voice of Charles, growing impatient from the waiting.

Suchong sighed, as he was becoming increasingly annoyed by his assistant. His voice carried a hint of said annoyance as he told Charles, "Not yet. I still need to put a few things in place before the experiment is ready."

Charles laughed, "To bad that they won't live through it, no they won't. Ain't that right doc?"

Suchong allowed himself a small smile. It had annoyed him greatly, that his test subjects had decided to spend the few hours they had left together before the experiment fucking. It was greatly distracting from his task, and it also didn't help that his test subjects, the last test subjects that he would have for this mind you, were unknowingly killing themselves. But, then he would remember that he would still get a paycheck and a laboratory that didn't make a meth lab look better by comparison.

He blissfully thought of all the possibilities he could bring about with the amount of money and expensive equipment he would have at his disposal. As he did, he almost failed to notice that he had turned his Bunsen burner a little too high and that his coat had caught fire. Although, he noticed it quickly and put it out just as fast. However, it wasn't fast enough to keep Charles from noticing, and when the fire was out, Charles began to laugh, "Real smooth right there doc!"

Suchong turned to Charles, anger apparent in his eyes, "Quiet! Or do you want me to take away what little humanity you have left?"

Charles immediately went silent. He needed his fix. It was the only thing that kept him sane. Angry Suchong meant no ADAM, and he dreaded the thought of there being no ADAM. He didn't want to go _completely _insane, that would just be inconvenient. Charles bowed his head, "I'm sorry doc. I really am."

Suchong sighed, "It's alright. Just go sit in a corner or something, I have work to do."

Charles nodded and apologized, "Yes sir. I'm sorry again sir, yes I am.", then, he hurried over to a small corner and sat down there, singing quietly to himself, "_Somewhere. Beyond the Sea. Somewhere, waiting for me. My lover stands on golden sands, and watches the ships, that go sailing..._"

Ottawa, the Surface

3 Hours Until Prologue

"Ah, feels good to stretch.", Pantsman said as he stepped out of the cop car. He, along with the others, had just pulled up to the Leonardo residence to do some investigating and find out what had happened from the horse's mouth.

The odd group all walked up to the door as Schwartzen-Cop rang the door bell. Scott was surprised to see that it wasn't Mr or Mrs. Leonardo answering the door, but actually Mrs. Cole. She was surprised to see the people in front of her, "Who the hell are you? I know it's close to Halloween, but this is just ridiculous."

As she was about to close the door, Scott stuck his foot in to keep it from closing, "Ma'am, we're friends of Leo and Aeris. Didn't Mrs. Leonardo tell you that we were coming?"

She looked them over once again, "Come to think of it, she did say something about a man with an underwear fetish coming over to help out."

Pantsman scowled from under his mask. However, Mrs. Cole didn't seem to notice and instead looked into the house and shouted, "Susan! The man with the pants on his head is here!"

At the end of her shout, the tan cat that was Mrs. Leonardo came out of the kitchen. She smiled a small smile when she saw Pantsman, " Hello Scott, it's been a while."

He nodded, "Good to see you too. So, what have you guys got so far?"

Toronto Sewers, Outside Suchong's Laboratory

18 Minutes Until Prologue

Jack's eyes opened very slowly as a horrible smell permeated his nostrils. He raised his left arm to wipe his eyes and help to wake him up. As he did, he felt a sweltering amount of heat coming from his hand. Focusing on it, he noticed that it was glowing red and that a lot of his skin was either charred or burned. Deciding that it would be best to stand up, Jack did so, but then noticed what he was standing in. He was calf-deep in sewer water, and he stank. Badly.

After promising himself a shower after the job was done, he stood up onto the walkway and went back to observing his arm. He placed his middle finger and thumb together and snapped. Almost instantly, a giant fireball launched from where his fingers snapped, and flew into a wall where it dissipated, leaving behind a large charred spot. He smirked to himself. It had been a long time since he had last felt this power, and it felt good. Even if that kick from earlier was worse than a mule's, it was good.

He then remembered the reason he took the Plasmid in the first place: Leo and Aeris. He immediately set himself on looking for the lamp that had the switch that would lead him to them. But there was just one thing. No lamp. There was nothing. The current from the sewers had taken him downstream. He was lost in the sewers, and it didn't help that it was night. He couldn't see a thing, except for his left arm. He cradled his forehead in his right hand, starting to lose hope in ever finding them at all. After removing his hand though, it was almost immediately restored.

He could see fur. The glow from his arm was giving off just enough light so that he could see the ground, and the fur trail that he was following earlier in front of him. Sticking his arm out, he started to run at a fast pace, determined to get to wherever that lamp led to. As he did though, he couldn't help but laugh at one thought: Jack, the Red-Armed Man.

Suchong's Lab, Storage Room

8 Minutes Until Prologue

Aeris's POV

As I opened my eyes, I couldn't help but smile. There he was, Leo, sleeping contently and holding me in his arms. I chuckled to myself as I heard him purring. Then I thought of last night. The most wonderful night of my life. Although, I couldn't help but feel that I forgot something, something rather important. What does it matter, I just had sex for the first time and I loved it.

After a few moments of just looking at Leo, He started to open his eyes as well. When he did, he smiled broadly and said, "So... about last night."

I smiled too, "Yeah, what about it?"

His smiled turned into a smirk, "You really sucked at it."

I pushed him playfully, "How would you know? It was your first time."

He chuckled, "Well, how would you know if you didn't suck? It was your first time too ya know."

I joined him in a chuckle, "Shut up. Come on, lets go get something to eat."

Leo let me go as I began to rise, but as I did I felt really sore. I mean, I was sore in the obvious places, but my back and neck were really stiff. What the Hell, was I sleeping on, concrete? After stretching out, I gave the room a once-over, and my heart froze when I saw where we were. The concrete walls, the steel door. I suddenly remembered where we were and what else happened last night. Hearing a grunting noise, I turned to see Leo getting up too, and he had an expression that mirrored mine; a look of realization.

I sighed deeply, running my fingers through my hair. Leo looked down at the ground, becoming sullen. He sighed as well, and said, "So... how much time do you think we have left?"

"Not much, that I can assure you.", said a voice coming from where the steel door was. I spun my head quickly to see Suchong and another man standing behind him. Suchong was smiling menacingly at me and Leo, "Charles, would you mind subduing the test subjects for me? There 's some extra ADAM in it for you if you do a good enough job."

The man behind him gasped as he started rubbing his hands together, "Yes sir, doc sir! I'll have them knocked out in a jiffy, I will."

The man named Charles stepped into the light, and I couldn't help but suppress the urge to throw up. Most of the top half of his face was covered with a rabbit mask, but the bottom half was horrifying. He didn't seem to have lips, just teeth and gums, and every single one of them was showing. But the most striking feature was the meat hooks he carried in his hands. They seemed to glow for no reason, and they looked like they could kill someone with one hit.

I looked over to Leo, to see that he was breathing deeply. He then stepped forward and said, "You will not knock me out! You'll see, we'll both escape, and then-", he was cut off when one of the hooks slammed into his head. He started to stumble around in his daze before shouting randomly, "HEY GOHAN, HAVE YOU FINISHED YOUR HOMEWORK YET, BECAUSE IF YOU DIDN'T, CHI-CHI WILL _KICK _MY ASS!", before fainting.

After sighing deeply at Leo's being... Leo, I saw that Charles was looking right at me from under his mask. His eyes were a burning shade of red as he said, "Don't you worry love. I'll take care of this nice and quick like, yes I will."

Then, I felt an impact on my head, and I was out cold.

Prologue

Oh, my head. I can't believe that that guy knocked me out even though he could have just taken me here, but I guess since I would have been kicking and screaming all the way here, I think I can see why he did that. I slowly open my eyes to see that I'm strapped to a table, and that there is a bright light right above me. I turn my head to the right and see that Leo has been strapped to another table next to me. His eyes weren't open but he was still breathing, so I knew he was alive. If he died I don't know what I would do.

Out of nowhere I heard a door open, and a few seconds later, I saw Suchong standing over Leo with a large needle. He was talking into a recorder about something, but I couldn't hear him because I was still disoriented. He then, to my horror, stuck the needle into Leo's arm. As soon as he pressed down on the plunger I could see Leo's face contort with pain, and the scream, oh my God the scream. He screamed so loud, I felt like I was going to die. Then he stopped. The shakes stopped too, and his head rolled on its side in my direction. It was then I noticed he stopped breathing. I looked at Suchong and back to Leo. The mix of anger, hatred, fear, and sadness wasn't unfamiliar to me, but this was ten times as strong as before. I hated that man, "YOU SON OF A BITCH! I'LL KILL YOU, I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!".

I struggled against the table, but it was no use. I kept on shouting, but it got quieter, "I'LL KILL YOU! I'll kill you! I'll kill you. I'll... *sob* *sob*.".

I started to cry. Leo was dead, and that man killed him. I wanted him dead but I could do nothing. He walked over to me and said, "Shh, I know, I know. You loved him, but you must understand, you were the best possible candidates for this experiment. The pain will be gone soon though, as I will give you the same thing I gave him."

I hated that man, and I hated that slimy voice that he had, but I couldn't fight back, so I just laid there, waiting for that needle. He smirked, "What's this? Not fighting back? Well, you just made things much easier for me Ms. Cole."

He then stuck another needle into my arm and pressed down on the plunger. I immediately felt pain rush up my arm. It worked its way up until...

...

...

...

...

… *growl*

Jack's POV

1 Minute After the Prologue

Found it. It took a few minutes, but I found it, and now this'll be the end of it all. I walk to the lamp and pull down, and the hook that the lamp was attached to gave way. Then the wall swung open, revealing a pitch black passage that seemed to go on for a few feet.

I peer inside, every single warning signal going off inside my head as I did so. I hold up my left hand in a snapping position, causing a small blue flame to appear between my thumb and middle finger. I take a deep breath and walk inside the passage, flaming hand guiding my way. I heard the sound of the door closing once again. A ghost of a smile appears on my lips. Suchong was didn't want to make this easy, and I love a good challenge.

I move around my arm a little to see if there are any booby traps of any sort, but evidently it was completely empty of anything that could be remotely dangerous. Not even a piece of paper to cut myself on. It was, if you will pardon the overused and cliched phrase, quiet. Too quiet. And I didn't like it at all.

At the end of the passage way was a steel door, which matched well with the concrete walls that it was surrounded by. I walk up to the door, Plasmid at the ready, and put my free hand on the handle. This is it, do or die time. I decide to go in guns blazing and kill Suchong and that Splicer before they get the chance to do whatever it is they want to do with those two poor souls in there.

I pull on the handle hard and run inside, left arm in front of me to find... nobody. There was nobody here. I was beyond confused. What the Hell was going on here? I know that they couldn't have deserted the place, there were still chemicals in the test tubes and plenty of other things as well. But then I saw it. A beaker, filled to the brim with a viscous, red-gold liquid. ADAM. I walk slowly to it, letting my guard down. How was this even possible? All of this, the Splicer, the ADAM, Hell, even Suchong. What was going on here?

"Magnificent, isn't it?", I heard a voice behind me say.

I turn around quickly to see a face that I wished I would never have to see again. Suchong smiled broadly at me, "Hello Jack."

I raised my left arm in defense, but instead of appearing intimidated, Suchong seemed amused, "Not even a greeting? Now that's just cold Jack. I thought I raised you better."

I glared at him, "Save it. Where are they?"

He smirked, "You mean the cats? They are indisposed at the moment. I'm afraid you're too late if you've come to save them."

No. My arm tensed as he said those words, anger starting to fill me, "If that's the case, then I'll just have to take care of you instead."

Suchong made a condescending noise before saying, "Such temper. I was sure I wrung it out of you."

I gave a humorless smile, "It came back as soon as I found out you made me break a puppy's neck.", the smile went away, "Now tell me, why and how are you back?"

He smiled and motioned to the table behind me, "All of the supplies you see here are the generous donations of a rather wealthy client. He has powers beyond this earth, beyond Plasmids. He resurrected me, dear Jack. He resurrected me so that I could help him."

I looked at him unfeeling and coldly, "And what sort of help would this all powerful person need?"

He chuckled, "I could tell you, but first, I want to show you something rather interesting.", he stood up straight and adjusted his glasses, "Now then, you were asking about those two cats?"

"Yeah.", I confirmed, "What about them? I thought you said they died."

"Now, I never said that.", he said as he walked toward a large metal door, "I just said they were indisposed at the moment. I believe that you will be able to see them now. Charles, if you would please?"

The door gave a loud squeak as it opened, and from behind it, the Splicer from earlier came out and said, "Come on out little pretties. Don't be shy now."

The area behind the door was pitch black, but cutting through the darkness were two pairs of glowing orbs, and what sounded like growls of some sort of Hell-beast. Then out from the doorway, a large white paw came out, and along with it, a large feral cat that I at once recognized as Leo Leonardo the Third. That is, what was once Leo Leonardo the Third. He looked nothing like the cat that I had met on the plane only a few days prior. He had a hunched stature, sticking low to the ground like a panther would. His claws had grown quite a few inches, looking like curved knives that had a pale yellow color to them. When he saw me, he opened his mouth in a snarl, and I saw that his fangs grew as well, almost six inches from what I could tell.

Behind him came another cat, pink this time. This one looked rather similar to Leo, except for the fact that this one was female. Then, something clicked. It was bugging me this whole time, who was that other cat with Leo? I just remembered that Leo's girlfriend was pink. I stared at the two for a long time, and without looking away from them, I said, "What have you done?"

I didn't see it, but somehow I know that Suchong smirked, "Do you like it? All it took was eight test subjects, but it has finally worked. A brand new Plasmid has been created."

I finally tare my eyes away from the cats to glare at Suchong, "What do you mean, 'new Plasmid'?"

"My commission.", he explained, "The reason that I was brought back. My employer needed someone who could create something that could turn the people into mindless, obedient little creatures. It just so happened he found out about my work and resurrected me."

"So, that's his plan?", I said, motioning to the two, "Turn the population of the world into feral creatures that rely on instinct. That wouldn't work."

Suchong waved a finger, "That is where you're wrong. The Plasmid makes them feral yes, but they still understand us. Their minds are blank, and they obey every whim of those that I tell them to."

I was half hoping that my glare would cause him to explode, "Then your going to control the world this way?"

He shrugged, "In a sense. Evidently, the Plasmid doesn't work on humans. Animals on the other hand...", he chuckled, "And to think I had some inane theory about love chemicals and virginity.", he paused as he thought of what to say. Then, "Think about it. The perfect army. Soldiers that obey every order, able to hunt for their own food, the ability to cut people down in seconds."

My glare turned into a questioning look, "That sounds like a terrible idea."

Suchong scoffed, "Well, it's not for me to decide what to do with what I have. It's for my employer.", He glanced over to the two cats, "And I believe that you have overstayed your welcome. Leo, Aeris? Sic him."

Almost as soon as the command was given, they were already halfway across the room. I snapped my fingers in reflex, and a large fireball appeared in front of me, causing the cats to back away from the flames. Recognizing a chance to escape, I bolted for the door that would lead out into the sewer. As I did, I felt something hard hit against the small of my back. I heard Suchong chuckle and say, "Nice throw, Charles.", as I righted myself. I then heard two sets of growls behind me as I got to the door. I opened it, but before I could even begin to step foot outside, a set of three claws dug into my right shin. I screamed in pain as I stepped through the door as fast as possible, and closing it even faster. I heard a hiss as I did, mostly because a bloody pink paw was jutting out from the open space in the door, preventing me from closing it. It withdrew, and I slammed the door behind me.

I was breathing heavily as I thought about what to do next. I'm not normally one to panic, so what I'm about to tell you is something that I'm not very proud of admitting. I snapped my fingers in front of me. Luckily it didn't roast me alive and instead blew out the concrete door that lead to the sewers. I ran as fast as I could with my cut leg, which I could feel was bleeding profusely. When I got out of the passage, I looked to the left and to the right of me, hoping to find a ladder that would lead me to the surface. Luck seemed to be on my side as of now, because there was a ladder just a few yards away.

I hobbled as fast as I could desperate to get out, when I heard the sound of a steel door hitting against concrete. They were coming. I hobbled even faster, reaching the ladder within the span of a few seconds. I began climbing as I heard hisses and growls behind me, as well as the sound of padded feet running. I pulled myself up faster than I thought possible, and the manhole cover flew right off when I pushed it. Chalking it up to adrenaline, I climb through the hole and replace the manhole cover as quickly as possible. I then look up around me. It was nighttime, and not many people were around. Good, no witnesses. Quick as a flash, I put my left hand on the edge of the cover and melt the space between the cover and the metal bit that surrounds it. That should stop them from getting through.

After taking a deep sigh of relief, I put my left arm to my side, causing it to turn normal. I could feel the adrenaline going away with each breath I took, and the pain in my shin was becoming more and more apparent. I needed a hospital, and fast. I don't know how much blood I lost, but from the fact that I'm feeling rather dizzy right now, it couldn't be a healthy amount. As I limp my way to the nearest street corner, I hear a voice, a woman's voice, say, "Hey, are you okay?"

I turn to see a rather scantily clad twenty-something cat-girl walking up to me with a concerned look. She looked to be a prostitute, but not being one to discriminate, I said, "Not really. If you have a phone, I would appreciate it if you called an ambulance."

She nodded and pulled a phone out of her purse and began to dial. I sat down on the sidewalk and sighed deeply, thinking of Leo and Aeris, those two poor people that lost their humanity. Or felineity. Is there such a word? Anyway, I couldn't help but feel sorry for them I could only imagine the pain that they were going through, the screams that they would've given off because of the first Plasmid kickback. I needed to help them, that much was clear, but how? My mind immediately came to a conclusion. I didn't like it, but it was a conclusion nonetheless.

I heard a cellphone beep and the girl said, "An ambulance is on the way, would you like me to wait with you?"

I nodded, and she sat down next to me. It was quiet for a while, probably because we were listening for the ambulance's sirens. Deciding to start a conversation, I said, "My name's Jack."

She looked at me with a slightly apprehensive look, but she responded in turn, "I'm Helen."

I smiled, "That's a nice name. You look like a Helen."

She smiled in an appreciative way, "Thanks."

She looked ahead, and I did as well. I then said, "Mind telling me how you got into this business Helen?"

I could tell she was becoming uncomfortable, "What business?"

I scoffed, "Come on. The revealing clothes, you're hanging out on a street corner. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what you do."

She didn't say anything. She just kept looking a head. I continued, "Breaks my heart, seeing such a beautiful young girl on the streets like this."

She looked down, "It makes ends meet."

I nodded, "I suppose it does.", I paused for a while, "My daughters were much like you."

She looked at me curiously, "What?"

"It's true.", I replied, "They would walk out on the streets, being told to do things by their masters. Being protected by their Big Daddys. They thought they loved them, but it wasn't the case. They were told by others to love them. They were only little girls. I saved them from that Hell."

She was still looking down, probably feeling sorry for herself. Smooth Jack, real smooth. I decided to do something about that, "Hey?"

She looked at me, and I said, "I'd like to make a request."

She looked slightly offended, probably because of what I said earlier, but she then said, "What do you want?"

I pulled out my wallet and took out all of the bills I had inside. They were soggy, but they were still currency. She looked at the money wide-eyed as I said, "I want you to get yourself a better life."

She took the money and counted it. She then exclaimed, "There has to be a thousand dollars here!"

I smiled, "Quit, get yourself something to eat, and get a less demeaning job. That's all I'm asking."

She smiled sadly and put the money back in my hand, "I can't do it. I just can't."

"Why?", I asked, curious why she would deny my gift.

She sighed, "He won't let me quit."

I immediately understood, "Your pimp doesn't like quitters does he?"

She shook her head. I nodded in understanding as I pocketed the money. After I did, I heard sirens in the distance, and I asked, "Do you normally work this corner?"

She nodded. I smirked, "Give me a week. I'll take care of everything."

She looked at me with an eyebrow raised, wondering what I meant by taking care of things. After another minute of silence, the ambulance came and picked me up. It would take a while to get to the hospital. Time to strategize.

Suchong's POV

1 Hour After Prologue

"DAMN!", I shouted as I threw a empty test tube onto the ground in anger. Yes, even though it's been a while since Jack escaped I was still rather angry at the fact he escaped. Now he could get help, and it takes way to long to mass produce this plasmid to make an effective counter-attack. Charles was walking slowly toward me, saying, "Now doc, I know you're angry, but don't take it out on the glass. It didn't do anything to you, no it didn't."

I raised my closed fist and slammed it against the table, causing a few things on the table to make a jingling sound. Charles began talking again, "Look on the bright side doc. The experiment was a success, you're getting paid-"

"It's not about the money anymore!", I shouted, "Jack's out there, and he knows where we are! We won't be able to survive here. He'll be coming here pretty soon, and he'll kill us!"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that.", said a voice that came out of no where.

I turned around and was surprised to see another man in my makeshift lab. He was a relatively short man and he was shrouded in a black cloak, along with a hood that covered his face. All that could be seen was the bottom half of his face, which featured a orange goatee. He was smirking at me as he said, "Hello Dr. Suchong. Its been quite a while."

I looked at him neutrally, my anger diminishing, "Hello Mr. Evilguy. I suppose you're here for the results.

"Of course.", he replied, "I would love to see the results."

I motioned for the steel door that lead to the two cats that had just recently turned feral. He smiled and walked to the door, opening it and peering inside. He closed the door after a few seconds, and he looked at me, smiling broadly, "I know these two."

I was surprised, "Really?"

He nodded, "Yes indeed. I never liked them much, thank you for doing this.", his smile diminished a little, "Anyway, lets talk business. I'm sure you want all the benefits I outlined to you?"

My anger and fear came back a little, "As much as I would love to say yes, we have a problem. I've been discovered."

He shrugged, "So?"

I was getting angry again, "So? He will come back and kill us. I can't make much of the Feral Plasmid, it takes to long, and it only works on animals. We only have two of these things, and I can't see how we can defend ourselves."

He smirked, "You forget one thing.", he snapped his fingers. Immediately, the room was covered with black fire. After shielding my eyes, I heard cheering. Opening my eyes, I looked around to see creatures, horrible creatures, all of them in lab coats for some reason. Evilguy smiled, "I have Hell on my side."

**WHEW! That was difficult. Fanfiction Police aside, it was pretty quick to write. But them damned Fanfiction Police are still after me. Does anyone have a rocket ship, because Freeza Planet 419 is looking better and better by the minute.**

**Anyway, I'll be doing Awkward next. If anyone has any suggestions as to what goes on, this will be the last time you can submit them. Anyway Read and Review! **


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Planning

General POV

1 Day After Prologue

Jack wasn't in the most pleasant of situations. For one, his calve surgery was going to cost a lot more money than he thought it would. Then again, Aeris's claws did dig rather deep. Second, his daughters still had no idea where he was, and he didn't like the idea of abandoning them. Of course, they could all take care of themselves at this point, but he didn't care, he was still they're father, and it pained him that he couldn't call them. Besides, if he did, what could he say, that he was in the sewers for two whole days, then got a large gash in his calve when a devolved cat tried to kill him? And third... well, he had no choice but to call her, he definitely needed her assistance. After all, she had a larger stockpile than he did, and many more... connections than he did. Sure, they parted on less than friendly terms, but if it was to save two innocents, he would do anything.

Pressing the call nurse button, Jack waited patiently until a nurse came into his room, bringing along a fake smile and an oddly insincere air. In an almost sickeningly sweet sounding tone, she said, "What can I do for you sir?"

"I want a phone.", he said bluntly, "I need to make a very important call."

"Well, there is a payphone out in the hall. Would you like for me to take you out there?"

Jack raised his eyebrow at her, and he said, "As good as it sounds, I'd rather it be something that I don't have to pay for."

"I'm afraid I can't do that sir.", she said, her smile cracking, "Just please be still."

Jack just looked at her with a raised eyebrow and said, "Look, I just want to call a... friend. Pretty much the only person I know. Besides, I'm pretty sure my daughters would like to know where their father is after all."

The nurse now looked visibly annoyed and said, "Look, it's hospital policy. I can't have you-"

"I'll stop you there.", he said, raising his arm, "What's the name of this hospital?"

The nurse sighed in annoyance and said, "The Anna DeWitt Memorial Hospital. But I don't see how-"

"Wasn't Ms. DeWitt supposed to be one of the most caring and loving individuals known to man?", he said, "Hell, she'd have to be to have a hospital named for her. Do you think she would want her nurses to deny patients the right to something as simple as a phone call?"

The nurse was silent, but after a moment, she sighed, "I can't do that sir. Hospital policy states that you have to use one of the payphones. I'm sorry."

"I'm sure...", he grumbled, crossing his arms.

It was then that a new nurse entered. This one was a pure black cat. Her green eyes, unlike those of her coworker, had a friendly look to them, and she seemed much more cheerful. Then she spoke in a kindly voice, "Hey Jessica. I'll take it from here."

The nurse that was now identified as Jessica sighed and mumbled a quick, "Thank God.", before leaving the room.

The new nurse shook her head as Jessica left, smirking while she did. She then went over to check Jack's IV bag while saying, "Don't mind her. Her and her husband just got a divorce."

Jack whistled and said, "Understandable. I'd be in a sour mood too."

The new nurse nodded and continued looking over Jack. After a few moments, he said, "So, what's your name?"

"Kathrine.", she said, "Everyone calls me Kitty though."

"Heh, cute name.", he said with a slight chuckle.

"Thank you.", she said amicably, before continuing her work. There was once again silence, but after a few moments, she said, "You know, I heard what you said while you were talking to Jessica. You know, about Ms. DeWitt."

"You did?", he said with a smile, and then joked, "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to eavesdrop?"

Kitty chuckled to herself and said, "Yes, many times.". She then grew a little more serious, "You were right though. That hospital policy about the payphones. That's something that she would never do."

Jack raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why? Did you know her?"

"I only met her once.", she said, thinking back, "She was 90, I think... she came to this hospital to see how it was doing. See, this was the first one she built. We didn't talk much, but from that, I knew she was just one of the nicest people in the world. It would break her heart if she saw that her patients had to pay for something as simple as a phone."

Jack shrugged, "Well, what're you gonna do?"

Kitty looked at the door, then back to Jack. She quickly shut the door and pulled out her cell phone from her pocket and said, "I'm breaking a ton of rules by giving this to you. Don't breathe a word of this to anyone, got that?"

Jack looked at the phone and back to her face. He smiled broadly and said, "Thanks.", before taking the phone and dialing a very familiar number. His thumb hovered over the send key for a while, but after a moment of deliberation, he pressed the green button and held it to his ear.

The ringing felt almost incessant, like a gnat was buzzing in his ear, taunting him with the fact that he had to call someone that he particularly didn't like. Still, it was a necessary evil. Then, it picked up, and a weary sounding woman with a thick German accent answered, saying, "Hello?"

Jack sighed deeply and said, "Hey, Tenenbaum, it's Jack."

Her voice became much more stiff and proper, no doubt a result of the man who was talking to her on the other end, "Jack. I take it that you've run into Suchong?"

"Oh, yeah.", he said, suddenly remembering that there was another person in the room and that he needed to be vague with what he was saying, "And it went over horribly."

He heard a weary sigh, "Why would you go after him. I told you that I needed time to supply and gain resources."

"Well while you were doing that, I was trying to make it so that it would be safer for others.", he said in a matter-of-fact way.

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?", she asked, a little annoyed.

"Well, let's just say that a couple of problems arouse while I was trying to attend my daughter's wedding rehearsal. Like, people getting lost problems.", he explained, hoping that Tenenbaum would be able to pick up on his vague words.

"...Lost?", she asked, "Was... was he kidnapping people?"

"Yes.", he said, glad that he could finally say a direct statement.

"Well... this complicates matters.", Tenenbaum admitted, "It appears that we'll need more help."

"More help?", Jack asked, "What other help could we get?"

"I know a man.", she said, "I've been holding something for him for quite some time now. Let's just say he owes me a favor or two. All I have to do is find him."

"Well, good luck on that.", Jack said sardonically, not entirely convinced that a stranger could help him, "I just want to find them, get them back, and be able to make my daughter's wedding."

"I'm unsure of how long it'll take, Jack.", she confessed, "All I know is that he'll be a valuable asset."

"Yeah, sure.", he said, sighing, "Look, when you have the time, come and pick me up? I'm at the Anna DeWitt Memorial Hospital."

"Hospital?", she asked. She then paused, as though processing the entire thing, and asked, "What happened?"

"I'll tell you later.", he said, wishing to end the conversation, which he did, with a simple, "Bye."

And before Tenenbaum could say anything else, he hung up on her, and handed the phone back to Kitty, who asked, "Who'd you call? Wife?"

"Not even close.", Jack said with a humorless laugh, "No, she was just a... friend of the family."

"Oh. Sorry.", she apologized.

"Eh, it's fine.", Jack said sincerely, "Now all I have to do is wait for her to get this friend of hers so that she can help me out."

Elsewhere...

In the sewers beneath the city of Toronto, Johnny Evilguy's fiendish plan was coming together beautifully. His first two victims walked beside him as he supervised all of his Hellspawned laborers. They worked diligently, copying Suchong's formula down to the T, handling each and every hypodermic needle with care. Walking behind him was the greasy Chinese man himself, closely followed by Charles, who seemed to be slightly afraid of the entire scene. This was shown when he tugged on the good doctor's coat and said, "Doc, I don't think I like this, I don't. It's all... evil."

"Will you be quiet!?", Suchong said in a harsh whisper, "I'm tired of your complaints! You get your ADAM don't you? So stop whining like some petulant child!"

This shut Charles up immediately, as well as having him turn his head down in shame. He was a splicer, yes, and he lived for ADAM, yes. Yet something just felt... off. He couldn't explain it, partially because of his low mental faculties, and partially because... well, the feeling just felt so alien. Still, he pressed on, ever loyal to the man who gave him his fix.

Suchong himself started to talk to the robed man in front of him, "This is indeed a most impressive operation, Mr. Evilguy. I had my doubts about devils and such things, but seeing all of them here, is just breathtaking, if I do say so myself."

Johnny smiled, "Thank you, Doctor. Having certain... connections makes things so much easier in the long run. Besides, I've seen the results of your Plasmid. It's incredible. And when something this incredible comes into being, I just can't help but mass produce it for my own purposes."

Suchong smiled and said, "Speaking of which, how exactly do you plan to distribute this plasmid?"

Evilguy chuckled, "Through inoculations. There's a new batch of flu vaccine coming out soon. All I have to do is replace those with Feral, and all the animals are as good as ours."

"And of the humans that take the vaccine?", Suchong asked.

"Tragic casualties, but nothing more.", Evilguy said, smirking in delight.

The two who were conversing were right at home with each other, each happily talking about the entire plot. And yet still, Charles was uneasy. It made no sense to him. Yes, he was meant to serve Suchong, but the more he got to know the man, the more he came to distrust and grow uneasy around him. Suchong chose him because his intelligence was far better than that of the normal splicer. And now, that was starting to work against him.

Meanwhile

A dark skinned hobo was sitting in an alleyway, minding his own business. He was a shell of a man, all things considered. He spouted inane ramblings at the drop of a hat, had a crazed look in his eyes, a brown paper bag as a makeshift hat, and a bottle of cheap whiskey in his hand. He barely moved as the world walked right passed him, ignorant of this man. After many hours of motionlessness, he had finally started to nod off, when the faint sound of clacking heels echoed down the way. He wouldn't have paid attention to it, but she then called out, "Dr. Porter? Dr. Porter, I know you're there."

The man's eyes opened in a flash. He looked over to where the voice was coming from and saw an elderly, yet strong looking woman facing him. Her eyes looked cold, but betrayed a hint of warmth that years of hardship and selflessness had created. Her voice was laced with a thick German accent, but her words were still intelligible. The man recognized her, but chose to ignore her, looking away from her.

She sighed as she walked closer to him, "I refuse to call you. Dr. Hobo. It's degrading to you."

Dr. Hobo chuckled, "If you say so, Ms. Tenenbaum. So, what did ya come here fer?"

"You can drop the act, Dr. Porter. I know how you act around other people, and I won't stand not being able to talk to one of the most brilliant minds I've ever known.", she said, staring intently at him.

Dr. Porter shrugged, "If you say so. But I have to ask again: what did you come here for?

"I need your help.", she said evenly.

Porter raised his eyebrow in response to this, "Help? What do you need my help with? Because if you want me to help you build another supercomputer, I think my knowledge is severely out of date."

Now, it was at this point that Tenenbaum became quiet, unsure of how to continue tactfully. Eventually though, she decided to just flat out say, "I... need you to become a Big Daddy again."

This was the part that she knew she was going to hate, and when she saw Porter's look, she knew she had hit a nerve. It wasn't often that she saw someone speechless, but this was indeed one of those times. They stared at each other, completely silent, until Porter spoke up, "I'm not doing it. I'm not turning into one of those things again."

"Charles, please listen to me.", Tenenbaum pleaded, "There are people in danger. I already have someone on our side, I just need you to put the suit back on."

Porter was silent for a moment before saying, "You know what it's like? Being trapped inside that thing? I still have nightmares..."

"People are in danger, Charles.", she said.

"Danger?", he asked, "What kind of danger?"

There was a pause, and Tenenbaum sighed once more. She then spoke, "I know this sounds insane... but Dr. Suchong is alive again. He's been kidnapping people. I'm not sure what he's doing with them, but knowing the man, it isn't going to be anything good."

Porter looked to the ground and sighed, "What am I supposed to do, Brigid? I don't want to be grafted to that thing again."

"You won't be.", She said, "I've been calling in a few favors. You won't have to be grafted to the suit to be able to gain it's enhancements."

Porter sighed deeply and rested his head against the nearest brick wall, thinking about the entire thing. This was something he never even considered as a possibility, especially after having escaped Rapture and moving on from his wife. But this? The entire thought of the most hated scientist in Rapture coming back to life? That was crazy. He shouldn't have even been considering what she was saying.

And yet... what was her reason to lie? To get him into the Big Daddy suit so that she could experiment on him? Then why have the suit upgraded for his sake? Or why not have done it while they were escaping the underwater metropolis? It was all so much to process, but it didn't take long for Porter to think back to the fact that innocent people were getting in harms way. And that was inexcusable. So, he looked back to Tenenbaum and said, "Alright... but if this is a trick, I swear to God that you'll regret it.

"I don't doubt it.", she said with a surprisingly uncharacteristic smile, "Now, come on. I need to pick someone else up."

A Few Hours Later

It took quite some time before the pair of doctors were able to make their way to the hospital that Jack was recuperating at. However, to him, the wait seemed much longer than that. An eternity was more like it. Still, he was patient, and he was eventually rewarded with their presence (Even though he considered it a rather dubious reward.)

When Tenenbaum and Porter first entered Jack's room, he was skeptical of the 'help', that the dirty, smelly, and all around unpleasant looking man could be any help to them at all. He remained ever unconvinced, until Tenenbaum started to tell Dr. Porter's story.

After being rescued from Rapture, Charles Milton Porter, one of Rapture's brightest minds, as well as one its former Big Daddies, he needed a change of face. He wasn't exactly one of the most prolific scientists of the community, but he was bound to be recognized sooner or later. So, much as he loathed to do it, he had grown out a beard, and lived out on the streets as the man called by the locals as 'Dr. Hobo'. He eventually grew into the character, and this was the first time in years he had broken character in public.

Jack listened to the story intently, and by the time it was finished, he said, "So... former Big Daddy, huh? I can see how that can help... but how'd you get out of the suit?"

"Simple.", Tenenbaum said before Porter could answer, "He was a prototype. Alpha Series, they are called. They are considerably less resilient than normal models, but can use plasmids, and are much faster. Yet, thankfully not all of them is bound to the suit.

"You see, Alpha Series Big Daddies weren't fully grafted, only their nerve endings, and only then into certain points. Also, their helmets could be removed in full. All it took was some surgery, and he was out."

Jack's mind was aflutter with all these terms and technicalities being thrown around. The information dump was going to give him a migraine, and that was not something that he particularly wanted to have. So, in order to get his mind off it, he said, "So, what? You're going to put him back into the suit? Hardly seems fair."

Tenenbaum rolled her eyes, "The suit has been modified. One does not need to be grafted into it in order to gain the strength or other advantages that comes with it."

"Then why not let me have the suit?", Jack asked.

She sighed and rubbed her head in slight frustration, "Dr. Porter is the only one of us who knows how the suit operates."

"Oh?", Jack asked, turning over to the technological savant, "You sure you can remember how it works?"

Dr. Porter nodded, "Most definitely. I lived in that thing for God knows how long. I can never forget how to work it."

There was a few moments of tense silence before Jack finally relented, saying, "Alright, fine. We'll bring him along. Any other surprised guests I should know about?"

Tenenbaum looked uncomfortable for a moment, then said, "There are a few... but I do not feel she needs to be dragged into this. Not again."

Jack looked at her for a moment, curious to what she meant. But he supposed that it didn't matter too much. With the combined might of both Jack and Porter, they would be nigh unstoppable in the face of Suchong's plans. Jack then spoke up, "Alright then. My leg isn't exactly healed up quite yet, but it's nothing I can't shake off."

"If you feel up to it.", she said, helping him out of the bed, "I've signed your release papers. You're free to go."

"Good.", he said, cracking his neck while leaving the room, "Now I need to get a few things..."

An Hour Later

"You kept everything?", Tenenbaum asked, looking around Jack's study, glass display cases scattered across the walls, holding many different relics.

"Of course I did.", Jack replied, "You won't find weapons like this on the surface. Not unless your in the military. Besides, I'll need all of my arsenal if I'm going to save those two."

As Jack strapped on a holster for his pistol and various other holders, Porter wandered around the room, looking into the various glass cases, one of which holding a dented, rusty, and yet still dangerous looking pipe wrench, various ware and tare evident in the peeling paint and rusted surface. Turning around, he asked Jack, "Why do you even have this? There are many more effective bludgeoning weapons."

Jack looked to Porter and down to the case. He calmly strode over to it and opened it, pulling out the wrench. He felt the familiar weight in his hand and held the head of the object in his other hand. He then said, "...It saved my life, that's why."

It was then that Porter realized that the red stains on the metal weren't rust. Now knowing that Jack was not one to be trifled with, Porter moved on from the display case, and proceeded to look around the rest of the area. Coming across a large case with what looked to be a chemical thrower, he asked, "You really intend to carry all of this?"

"Yep.", Jack said without a hitch as he strapped a crossbow to his back.

Porter looked confused, "Where would you put it all. I had many weapons while I was a Big Daddy, but it made sense, I was stronger. But... how?"

"Trust me, I just can.", he said as he opened the case with the chemical thrower, strapping the weapon across his lower back.

And that was it. Jack now stood, an already imposing figure made more intimidating thorough the sheet fact that he was carrying that much weaponry at once. In two holsters on his side were his wrench and pistol, ready to go in a split second. A tommy gun, crossbow, and a grenade launcher were all strapped to his back, locked, loaded, and primed to start firing. Hanging loosely around his neck was a research camera, stocked with leftover film. And as stated before, across his lower back was the chemical thrower, a soft hissing escaping from the end of the nozzle. All across the rest of his body were numerous pouches containing the multiple ammo types needed to keep the weapons working. And in one specific pouch, numerous hypodermic needles and canisters contained all his Plasmids. Jack was ready to kick some ass, and as he made the last adjustment, he said, "Alright then. Let's get you in your suit, and we can get this all over with. I want to save Leo and Aeris and stop Suchong before things go south."

"It won't be a problem then." Tenenbaum said, finally cutting into the conversation, "I had all the suit pieces in the trunk of my car. They're relatively lightweight, so I was able to carry it all in by myself."

Porter and Jack looked confused, before they saw the suit pieces on Jack's desk, the other two too preoccupied with Jack's preparation to notice that she had done something of this nature. Both of the men looked disquieted about the armor, but for different reasons. Still, Porter put on a brave face, and said, "Alright, Tenenbaum... strap me in, I'll do whatever it takes."

"Good.", she said, going to the nearby chest-plate and back-plate, clamping them onto Porter. She was right, the suit felt lighter, but the weight... it still felt the same. When she started to attach the legs and boots, Porter closed his eyes, hoping that by doing this action he would be able to make the process go by faster. Then, with the sealing of a vacuum, he knew that the helmet had been attached, and he was breathing out of an oxygen tank.

Porter opened his eyes to see Tenenbaum, looking rather pleased with the results, while Jack looked slightly astonished. Porter knew they probably couldn't hear him through his helmet, but he still asked, "...How is it?"

"Rather well, actually. The suit's better than new.", Tenenbaum said, much to Porter's surprise.

"You can hear me?", he asked, bringing one of his hands into view, seeing that it was actually a rather polished gold, rather than the expected mossy green and dark brown of the usual Big Daddy.

"Yes.", she confirmed, "I have installed a microphone into your suit. You will now be able to talk normally with the rest of us."

Porter once more looked at his gloved hands, and asked, "Could I please have a mirror? I want to see how I look."

Jack nodded and went out into the hall for a moment. When he came back, he had a large mirror in his hands, and when he got in front of the Big Daddy, he set it down against a wall and said, "I gotta say, you look way better than you normally would."

Indeed, Jack's words were true. It was a certainty in Rapture that one would never come across a Big Daddy suit that was clean. But this... this was amazing. It looked as though it had come right out of the factory. Rust and blood stained metal had covered up what was once gold colored steel, and what was once pale blue fabric in between the armored parts was replaced by the original deep blue color. The porthole he saw through had a slightly harsh yellow light coming from it, both a sign of his mood, as well as a good way of seeing through the dark. He took a deep breath, and he could tell that the oxygen inside the tank was fresh, unlike the stale recycled air he had to breath for all those years.

Numerous holsters around his body help different weapons much more efficiently than Jack. All his weapons were magnetically attached to his back, allowing him to have easy access to his drill, rivet gun, machine gun, spear gun, grenade launcher, shot gun, hack tool, ion laser, and his research camera built into his helmet. Looking deeply into the mirror, Porter didn't see himself as a Big Daddy. Not this time. He saw himself as the shining knight the Little Sisters always thought he was supposed to be. And if this was the way to show them that he really was good, then this was the way to do it. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Alright. Let's go."

Jack nodded, and they were about to leave before Tenenbaum said, "No, it's too dangerous for Charles to go out there dressed like this.", she turned to Jack, "You have a van correct?"

Jack shrugged, "Well yeah, but-"

"Then we use that.", she said, leading the way, "We're leaving now. Jack, you give directions to the manhole you crawled out of. Hopefully Suchong hasn't relocated."

"I don't think he has.", Jack said, following her into his garage, "He doesn't have anywhere else to go."

"I hope you're right.", she said, keeping her pace, "I sincerely hope that you're right."

Back Underground

Charles crept to his small corner of Suchong's lab, the large gateway to Hell looming ominously opposite of him. He hated to look at it. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't ignore it. It just didn't seem right. Yes, of course Charles had done horrible things. Murder, kidnapping, all that. But _this_? This felt almost too far. He didn't want to be part of this anymore. But he unfortunately had no choice. He either got his ADAM and lived, or didn't and die. But... maybe he could fix it. Maybe he could help the cats. But... could he though? He was outnumbered by Suchong, Evilguy, the cats themselves, not to mention all the demons. He couldn't withstand that. So, with a sigh, Charles laid down on the hard ground, and went to a troubled sleep only to awaken to the sound of grinding stone.


	14. Chapter 14

**Here it is... the finale... finally... please enjoy... next time, it's an MST on my DA page... seriously, look up MadManMatt64 on DeviantArt. Please? **

Chapter 14: Endgame

Jack Ryan was never what one would call a coward. After all, he couldn't really be considered one after everything that he's been through. But despite that, everything that was happening was starting to weigh down on him, and he was admittedly getting a little frightened. After all, one could only take so much of feral cat creatures, people coming back from the dead and God knows what else. And that wasn't even getting into the fact that he was working with a Big Daddy now. The loud stomping of the suit was something that didn't bring back past memories, and it took all his will not to run away from it. He was thankful that the whale sounds weren't there though.

The sewers were just as dank as before, if not even more so. The scent of assorted muck and grime was all around them, and Jack actually wished that he had Porter's helmet to block out the smell, it was that bad. Still, he pressed on, memories of running from the beasts that Leo and his girlfriend had turned into, now helping to guide him to where he needed to go.

As thoughts about what to do streamed into Jack's head, Charles Milton Porter trudged along behind him crouching slightly, as his tall height was restricted by cramped sewers. He wasn't exactly happy being back inside the suit, but he was glad for the protection from what would surely be a difficult battle. And a companion wasn't exactly a bad thing either. But then again, Porter didn't exactly know what to make of Jack. He seemed like just some man who came across Rapture and escaped, but what he didn't understand was why he turned out so... good. He had seen what happened to Rapture after the fall, and he thought it would turn anyone into a cold son of a bitch. But not Jack. It actually seemed to make him even more good. It wasn't that Porter didn't trust Jack, far from it. It was just that he didn't understand the why around him. Why adopt the Little Sisters? Why help these people?

He would've harped on these thoughts for longer, but he then bumped into Jack, tripping him up a little bit. Porter mumbled a halfhearted apology but the mic didn't pick it up. But then he asked, "Are we here?"

Jack paused to look at his surroundings for a moment, then said, "Yeah... we're here. What, you didn't notice the giant hole in the wall?"

Porter was confused for a moment before turning over to the wall and seeing a large rectangular hole in it, the leftover of Jack's moment of panic. Porter chuckled and said, "I guess not. So, what we're looking for is down in here then?"

"Yep.", Jack said, stepping forward and pumping his shotgun, "Remember, don't kill the cats. Use the Hypnotize plasmid on them, and if it wears off, keep using it."

"Right.", Porter said as a green glob appeared in his left hand and a rivet gun was drawn to his right.

"And Suchong. Don't kill Suchong. He's mine.", the shorter man said as fire welled up in his hand.

"You got a grudge against him?", the Big Daddy asked. He knew that not many people liked Suchong, but he wanted to hear the reason as to why he needed to die first.

"Like you wouldn't believe.", Jack said, not saying anything else and instead moving forward into the hall leading to the lab.

Porter decided not to press the issue and followed Jack inside the short hallway, trying to make his steps as light as possible, for fear of detection from the other side of the door. When they reached it, Jack put a finger to his lips, to which Porter nodded (well, bobbed the upper portion of his body up and down) in response. And with that, Jack turned the handle, and slid the door open carefully, slowly. He didn't know if anyone was up or not, but if they weren't he wanted to be able to get the drop on them.

When the door opened fully, they both peaked inside to see that in the room there was... nothing. Just a laboratory, and the door that Jack recognized as the one that Leo and Aeris had appeared out of. But there was another door here now. It looked rather conspicuous as well, considering the sterile and simple design of the room. It was a tall door with Gothic designing, and a large skull on the top. It was made from red and black wood, and it looked foreboding above all else. Yet what really concerned the two was the fact that the door didn't seem to lead to anywhere. It just stood there in the center of the room, nowhere near what could even remotely be considered a wall. It gave them the chills just looking at it.

But before they could enter, Jack's ears picked up a faint sound from above. It was a tinking sound, like … like hooks attaching to a ceiling. Quickly, Jack aimed the shotgun off and fired a blast, a cry of pain from on high indicating that the buckshot had hit it's mark. And surely enough, when the cry was heard, Charles fell to the floor, grabbing his right arm when he reached the ground. He looked up at Jack and said, "That wasn't fair! I wasn't gonna hurt you, I wasn't!"

It was then that he noticed that among the people in the room, there was also a Big Daddy. He scrambled to the nearest wall and said, "See! I don't wanna kill ya! 'Sides, it ain't worth toeing it with a Big Daddy!

Despite Charles claims, Jack aimed his shotgun at the Splicer and said, "Give me a reason. Give me one good reason to keep you alive."

Charles raised his arms in front of his face as a meager means of protection and shouted out, "'Cuz I know how to save them cats, I do!"

That caught Jack's attention, making him lower his weapon slightly. Porter then walked up to Jack and said, "Should we believe him."

Jack thought it over a while, shook his head, and said, "I have no idea. I came across this guy before, and got be pretty good. He didn't seem to hesitate working for Suchong then, so I don't believe he's hesitating now."

"So, what do we do?", Porter questioned, looking down at the trembling Spider Splicer.

After a pause, Jack made up his mind and said, "Keep an eye on him while I go and check something, okay?"

Porter nodded and pressed the firing end of his rivet gun to Charles' skull, saying, "Don't move. I don't want to hurt you."

Jack, meanwhile, had went over to the door where the corrupt versions of Leo and Aeris had exited from last time he was here. He slowly opened it and looked inside. It took a while for his eyes to adjust to the pitch black, but there were no cats inside. Only dust, scratches, and nothing else. He sighed and closed the door, saying, "Okay. Porter, you can let him go."

Reluctantly, Porter moved the rivet gun away from the Splicer's head as Jack pointed his shotgun at the Charles, and said, "Now then, explain what's going on here."

Charles nodded, "Okay. So, I came here because Mr. Suchong needed an assistant, he did. He wanted a lackey that wouldn't ask too many questions, but was smart enough to follow orders, and since I was the most intelligent Splicer he could find, I was chosen. He had me hunt down people, and in exchange, he would give me the sweetest tasting ADAM I ever had. It was a sweet deal, it was. But... now I'm scared! Them cats are just the start, they are!"

"What's that supposed to mean?", Jack asked, wondering what exactly the Splicer was saying.

"Suchong's gonna poison people, he is! He and some bloke in black are going to make every animal like those cats! They're completely loyal, and they're practically indestructible, they are! I don't want to die down here! ADAM ain't worth it!"

Jack was rather taken aback by this. A Splicer rejecting ADAM? That had to easily be the most odd thing he had ever heard. So, he asked, "Why? Isn't ADAM important to you?"

"Not when it comes to mass killings it don't!", Charles said, "I want ADAM, but I didn't like killing for it! I stole the stuff off the dead! Can't stand the killing, I can't."

"Then why kidnap people, then murder them?", Porter asked.

"I didn't kill 'em!", Charles pleaded, "I bought 'em here, and when Suchong killed 'em, all I did was mutilate 'em a little! I was only doing what I was told to do, I was! Don't kill me, please! I can help, I can!"

Jack and Porter looked at each other for a moment. Yes, this Splicer was probably lying to them, and that could totally backfire on them. But it was the only lead they had at this point, and if the Splicer was telling the truth, then this could made easier on them. So, with a nod, they both lowered their guns from the Splicer and Porter said, "Easy, easy. We're not going to kill you."

"Y-you aren't?", Charles said, looking up.

"Nope.", Jack said, "If you can help, then why kill you."

"Thank you sirs, thank you!", Charles said, standing up with a slight limp, "You won't regret this you won't!"

"But know this.", Jack said, "You make one wrong move...", he brought up his left hand, now crackling with electricity, "You're done. You got me?"

Charles gulped, "U-Umm... yes sir. I'll keep that in mind, I will..."

"Good.", Jack said, lowering his arm. He then pointed to the large door in the center of the room, and asked, "Now, what's that door over there for?

"Oh, that's the door to Hell, it is.", Charles explained as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

The two Rapture veterans stood speechless for a while, before Porter spoke up, saying, "You're joking."

"Nope.", Charles said, "It's the portal to the underworld."

Jack and Porter looked at each other again, the Big Daddy saying, "That's not possible. How could a door to Hell exist? Why would something like this exist?"

"It's the man in the black robe, it is.", Charles stated, "He's got an entire workforce in Hell making that plasmid. It's big."

Jack was silent for most of this explanation, but now he said, "I don't believe it. Even if that is a door to Hell, how could he get demons working for him?"

"He sold testicles to 'em, from what I heard.", Charles said.

Jack was going to question this, but then he ignored it. He suddenly felt that this was a plot point of an incredibly bad story that was written by a 17 year old in pajamas who was too lazy to update his story for a large amount of time.

Pushing that incredibly specific thought out of his mind, Jack then said, "So, what are we in for then?"

"Oh, lots 'o demons and things like that.", the Splicer said, "Nothing the three of us can't handle, I don't think."

The other two weren't so sure about that though. Demons? Unlikely, but that could prove to be a problem. After all, they were only men. They were heavily armed and armored men, but they were men nonetheless. But then again, they had both taken on a small army's worth of Splicers, so why couldn't they take on otherworldly creatures? It would be just like before, except with more fire, less water, and no Vita-Chambers to make them alive again if they were to kick the bucket in any form. More or less the same.

So, with courage in their hearts, Jack opened the portal, and stepped through. And just as suspected, even though the door itself seemed to lead to nowhere, when opened, it lead to a dark, yet surprisingly warm stone corridor that lead into an area full of light. Yet it wasn't a warm and inviting light, far from it in fact. It was a blistering red light that seemed to exude heat and discomfort. For once, Jack showed some hesitance before noticing that Porter was starting to walk ahead of him, the hulking figure undeterred by the scorching heat.

Jack pushed on, along with Charles behind him, trying to look as small as possible while having his hooks clenched firmly in his hands. Jack and Porter too were at the ready, with the both of them toting machine guns. The air felt stagnate and stuffy, and from time to time, there was a distinctive _clink-clank_ or _bang_, as though machinery was being worked on, and it was occasionally punctuated by the crack of a whip. Then, when they reached the end of the hallway, both Jack and Porter had to stop, amazed at what they were seeing. For they were on a balcony, and below them, was the most demonic factory imaginable.

Everywhere there were souls of evil people working wearily at the wicked assembly line of what appeared to be a vile liquid that looked like a mix of blood and bile. All the workers were chained to the machines, and were being supervised by large demonic creatures that held whips, obviously the slave drivers. And overseeing everything, clear across from where the three were standing, stood an oily Chinese man, a sinister looking figure in a black robe, and Leo and Aeris (THEY WERE IN THIS STORY TOO!), still looking wild.

Jack would've preferred to have taken the subtle and quiet approach, but this nice and simple way of getting to the cats was made impossible by the fact that a voice Jack didn't readily recognize had started to talk to him. "Hello there Mr. Ryan.", the voice said, "I've heard much about you."

"Who are you?", Jack called out, making sure that his machine gun was cocked.

The voice chuckled, "I'm Johnny Evilguy. No doubt you heard about what I'm planning from that... traitor behind you."

If it were at all possible, Charles seemed to become even smaller, and mumbled out, "I-It isn't right, it isn't..."

The Splicer was ignored as Johnny continued, "So, you're here to save the cats and stop my plans then?"

"At first it was just to save the cats.", Jack said, raising his left hand, which had since grown honeycombs, "But now that I know what you're planning, I'm going to stop you as well."

"Big talk, from someone like you.", Evilguy said with a large sneer, "I don't think I'll even grace that with a response...", he then yawned in the most deliberately insulting way possible and said, "I think I'll go and get some rest... Suchong, you know what to do."

"Of course.", said the malicious geneticist before calling over across the room, "You'll never win, Jack! Not when these cats and demons are on my side!"

"...We'll see.", Jack said before running down nearby stairs, machine gun at the ready and bees crawling along his left hand. Following close behind him was Charles, more out of cowardice than courage. Then was Porter who, with a guttural roar that only a Big Daddy could pull off, jumped off of the balcony and slammed his drill hard into the ground, causing a shockwave that knocked a couple of demons off their feet.

Jack soon was by Porter's side, and before they knew it, both of them were standing back to back, the human stinging as many hellspawn as possible with Insect Swarm before pumping them full of machine gun rounds, and the Big Daddy peppering his opponents with shotgun shells, punching out any that got too close.

Charles meanwhile, had decided to do something much less deadly in his mind. As he was a Spider Splicer, he was able to contort his body in such a way that he was barely an inch off the ground before scuttling off in the direction of a certain Chinese scientist and his two test subjects. It would take a while, but he wanted to at least help in some way without getting his ass kicked.

Jack and Porter on the other hand were having a handful with the veritable army of demons facing them. At first, the two seemed to have the upper hand, as the variety of weapons and Plasmids seemed to be keeping their foes on their toes. But then it seemed as though they were coming out of the woodwork, and the varieties seemed to be more and more difficult. There were the low level ones, ones that could breath fire, ones with tough shells, snakes, fiery bats, it looked as though just about everything was out to kill them.

Jack was starting to crack after about ten minutes of fighting. They seemed to have unlimited reinforcements, while Jack and Porter were running low on ammo and Eve. They could only potentiall hold out for about another ten minutes if they were lucky, but more and more, that possibility seemed to be waning. But then, he had an idea. Over the shouting of the opposing army, he said, "Porter! Free as many of these prisoners as you can!"

"Are you crazy!?", Porter cried back after fending off a fire breathing demon with his drill, "They'll probably kill us after we kill these things! They're evil!"

"We don't have much of a choice, and we don't have time to argue!", Jack called out before firing a crossbow bolt between the eyes of an unsuspecting snake demon, "Just do it, I'll cover you!"

Although still uncertain about the idea, Porter knew that this was possibly the only way to survive the onslaught. So, he ran quickly to the closest worker and broke the chain that bound him to the machine before quickly moving on. The first prisoner looked to see that he was free from his shackles, and with a crooked grin, tore a pipe off one of the mechanisms, and attacked the closest demon with a sort of malicious delight.

This seemed to be the general pattern of Porter's short campaign. Some would stand and fight like the first, others would run, and more still would just keep working as though nothing had happened, completely broken by their years of torture. Still, a sizable army of their own had been created, and now they had a fighting chance against all the things that Johnny and Suchong had set on Jack and Porter.

And speaking of Suchong, he looked over the chaos that was happened with a dissatisfied look. This hadn't been in the plan, or at least not in the plan that he knew about. These two were proving to be a thorn in the scientist's side, and he didn't appreciated thorns. "You two are more trouble than you're worth...", he said to the cats, who were both at his side, hissing and spitting at the ground below, wanting to join in on the action and sink their teeth into something. But they were distracted by this, so they didn't notice when a certain Splicer made it's way onto the platform. He took a deep breath, slowly made his way behind Suchong, and raised his hook high above his head, ready to strike. Then, he swung down, catching Suchong on the shoulder and making him squeal in pain. He turned around quickly, and with a look of fury said, "You two! Kill him!"

Feral Leo and Feral Aeris immediately went on the offensive with Charles, who decided that it would be best to run away. After all, he had only intended to kill Suchong and lead the cats to safety, but then he had to go and botch his own plan. He jumped off the balcony and onto the floor, right in front of a demon who was formerly on his way to kill Jack and Porter, but now had chosen the Splicer as his new target.

Charles clawed at the creature with his hooks, but he missed completely, and it was immediately grabbed by the demon. He was about to break more than a few bones before the two cats landed on top of it and gored it with their claws. It cried in pain before falling down and breathing it's last. Charles didn't stick around to see this though, and decided to take another crack at Suchong. As Feral Leo and Feral Aeris continued ripping at the creature, Charles climbed back up the way he came, and heard Suchong cry, "Dammit, not him! I told you to go after the Splicer! The Splicer damn you!"

"I suppose they still can think a little bit for themselves, I do.", Charles said as he climbed over the railing.

"You again!", he shouted. His left arm with dripping with blood, and the wound itself was being compressed by Suchong's good hand. He looked like he as going to blow a gasket, and he looked as though he were trying to grind his teeth to dust if his grimace was evidence enough. He then said, "You traitor! I'm going to kill you myself!"

He then pulled out a rather large pistol from under his labcoat, and shot at Charles. Luckily, it was too large a caliber to be handled with one hand, let alone by a wormy scientist, and the gun broke his good arm, leaving Suchong crippled and crying in pain. Unluckily however, he had hit Charles in the chest, piercing his heart and ensuring his death. Charles dropped one of his hooks and fell to his knees. His mask then fell off, revealing his scarred and deformed face. He was breathing heavily as he started to bleed out, and he looked up to see Suchong smiling through his pain. The Chinese scientist then bend down on one knee and said, "You see Charles... you lost. What were you thinking? All you had to do was serve me and get ADAM. That was all. And now, you're dead. What have you got to say about that? Hmm?"

Charles looked into Suchong's eyes, and saw every single aspect of the man's personality through them. The hatred, the greed, the lack of empathy... and he hated the look in those eyes... and he knew that he was the only one right now that could stop his hatred and greed... so, with the last of his strength, he swung his hook into Suchong's neck. A look of surprise was on Suchong's face as he felt the sharp hook dig into his trachea, and the quick pull that soon would either choke him, or drown him in his own blood. The last words he heard before the darkness took him were, "I say... I win..."

And then, it seemed as though the tide was turning in favor of Jack and Porter. The demons seemed to be getting progressively weaker, and their numbers were getting fewer. Soon, it was Jack and his army of freed souls that were winning the day, and not a moment too soon. Jack was now stuck to his wrench, having used up all his ammo for everything else, and Porter's drill had quickly run out of fuel, leaving it just as useful as the wrench. When the last demon was killed, cheers of adulation and victory echoed throughout the demonic factory. The souls, rather than attempt to kill their saviors as Porter had predicted, now looked over to Jack to see what they could do next. At first, he was confused by this, but then decided to take advantage of this and order, "Find the grey and pink cats! We came here for them, and we need to get them out! Alive!"

The freed slaves obeyed and immediately set out to find Leo and Aeris. Jack and Porter decided to look as well, and eventually they found themselves on the platform that Suchong and Evilguy were overseeing everything from, only to find the dead bodies of Charles and Suchong. Jack sighed and said, "Damn... the Splicer killed him..."

"I'll take him out of here...", Porter said, picking up the dead Splicer and putting him over his shoulder with little difficulty, "He doesn't deserve to be in a place like this..."

Jack agreed and watched as Porter took the body of Charles out of factory and into the door they went through to get there. Jack then took a deep breath and thought to himself, "Okay... the factory is gone... now all I need to do is find the cats, and kill that guy in the robe... but I gotta find them first. Where would they be though?"

Thinking to himself, Jack looked over railing and down onto the factory floor. He scanned the ground for a moment before seeing a pink... something go around a corner. The gears clicked immediately, and Jack instantly started to run down the stairs and to the corner. A few of the souls noticed this and followed behind him, acting as a sort of backup. Jack didn't mind. After all, why not except help from people willing to give it?

When Jack reached the corner, he looked around it and saw that it lead into a long corridor, and at the end was Evilguy and the cats, going through a door marked 'ESCAPE ROUTE: ONLY USE IN CASE OF GOODY TWO-SHOES RUINING YOUR PLANS.'

Jack didn't like that phrasing, so he decided to interrupt the man in the black robe from opening the door, calling out, "Hold it right there!"

Evilguy sighed and turned around, facing Jack and his backup. He chuckled to himself and said, "My, aren't you the clever one... freeing all the souls. Not something someone would usually risk doing."

"I'm not a normal someone then.", Jack said, clenching his wrench tightly in his hand.

"Yes, yes...", Evilguy said with a yawn, "I've heard it all. Now, if you'll excuse me..."

Evilguy turned to leave again, and in desperation, Jack threw the wrench at Johnny, knocking him upside the head and making him fall over. Jack then attempted to clear the distance before the mastermind behind everything got up, he was then blocked by Leo and Aeris, still under the control of Feral. Johnny then got back up, and with a look of anger said, "...I was going to let you live Ryan... but I can see now that you'll never leave me alone... Leo, Aeris? Kill."

On that command, both cats body checked Jack and knocked him over. The souls beside him attempted to help him, but they were immediately knocked back by Feral Leo and Feral Aeris. Their full attention was now on Jack and both had their claws poised to strike him while he was vulnerable. Desperation struck Jack once again, and he cried out, "Leo, stop! It's Jack, remember me!?"

He didn't know if he was right, but he thought he saw Leo hesitate. The claws retracted a little. Aeris however, was much more gung-ho, and was about to slash out Jack's throat when he said, "Aeris, you're not like this! You don't kill!"

Of course, he knew nothing about this girl, but he felt like that was good enough to break through to her. Luckily, he was right. She didn't go through with it, and instead seemed to be struggling to get her paw away from his throat. They both did actually. Jack was able to use this opportunity to throw them off and get up, charging at Johnny, who unwisely didn't choose to escape. Now, it was Evilguy on the ground, and Jack had both his hands around his neck, shouting, "You did this! You did all of this! It wasn't enough just to ruin people's lives, but you had to rule everything too!? You're fucking dead, you son of a bitch!"

Evilguy seemed to smile through the pain and said, "Either way... I still won... they'll... never be the same again..."

Jack remained silent and spied his wrench nearby. He let go of Evilguy with one of his hands and grabbed the wrench. He then raised it above his head and said, "...We'll see.", before whacking Evilguy across the face, knocking him out.

He stood up once again, and looked over his shoulder. Leo and Aeris seemed to be confused about everything, and looked somewhat afraid as well. Jack attempted to go near them, but they both let out a loud snarl at him, telling him that he needed to back off. So he did, backing away, and looking right at them. Eventually, Porter showed up and called across the corridor to him, saying, "Jack, I'm here!"

"Good.", Jack said, "Get Hypnosis ready. I don't like it, but it's the only way to make them placid."

Porter grunted in affirmation and summoned a green glob into his left hand, throwing one at Leo, and another at Aeris. A green aura appeared around them, and they both appeared to become more calm and somewhat content. Porter called to them and they came over, following him up the stairs and to the door that lead to the underground lab. Jack followed quickly behind, having grabbed a hold of Evilguy so that he could take him to justice back on the surface. But before he left forever, when he made it up to the balcony that would lead to the corridor that would lead to the mortal realm, he looked over all the souls he had freed, and ordered, "Destroy this place."

As he turned around, he could hear the machinery being destroyed and the laughter of the souls at the general destruction.

Before he knew it, he was back in the lab. When he noticed this, he took a deep breath, and shut the door behind him. He then put down Johnny, activated Incinerate, snapped at the door, and burned it to a crisp. He felt pleased with himself. He saved the cats, stopped an evil plan, and Suchong was killed. It felt good to have taken care of everything.

As he reflected, he noticed that Porter was strapping the cats onto gurneys. He was going to ask why, but then he noticed that the green aura was disappearing, and went to help Porter strap in Leo. They weren't a moment too soon, as Leo's aura disappeared right when he was strapped in. The both of them were now struggling against their bonds, and it was indeed a rather pitiful sight. Still, they were here to help, and Jack stepped beside Aeris, holding out his right hand over her head. "You sure this is going to work?", Porter asked uncertainly.

"Tenenbaum said that it would.", Jack replied, "She told me that the plasmid I used to free the Little Sisters was meant to expunge ADAM from someone's system, and since their transformation was tied to a plasmid that they haven't overdosed on, it should work... hopefully."

"And what do we do if it doesn't work, Jack?", the Big Daddy asked.

"...We hope that God forgives us.", Jack said flatly.

Porter understood, and decided to stand back, letting Jack take care of everything. He observed closely and Jack closed his eyes and took deep breaths. Soon, his hands took on a pure white glow, his arteries and veins being the source of most of the light. Then, he slowly placed his hands on her cheek and forehead. At first she growled and struggled, but the growls turned into sounds akin to moaning. Then, Jack removed his hands, and almost immediately Aeris threw up the red and gold substance known as ADAM. Slowly, her body turned back to normal. Her eyes returned to their normal blue color, her figure returned to her, her back straitened, and she looked just like herself again.

Aeris felt tired. She also felt like she was ran over by a truck... 10 times. Her mouth tasted like sick, and it... well, it made her feel sick. She groaned as her eyes started to open, however her vision was fogged and she couldn't see much. But she could her noises from beside her. They were muffled due to her dulled senses, but she could hear growling and hissing. For some reason, only one word came to her lips from those sounds alone, "...Leo..."

She then heard a loud stomping sound, and a yellow light started to shine down on her. A tinny voice then said, "She's awake Jack."

"Good.", said another voice, "Then Tenenbaum was right. That should mean that he should come to any minute now."

Aeris only barely understood what was happening. But slowly, her senses started to return. She could feel that her arms and legs were strapped to something, and her whole body felt chilly. She then started to form more words, "W-Where am I... what's going on...?"

"It'll be okay, miss.", said the tinny voice, "Just relax. You'll be back to normal in a few minutes."

Minutes? Well, at least it wasn't longer. She did feel pretty tired... maybe a nap would do her some good... so she shut her eyes again, and fell into a quiet slumber.

"So, how do they look?", Porter said, standing vigil over the two cats.

"They're okay.", Jack said, unstrapping Leo and hoisting him over his shoulder, "You wouldn't mind bringing her back up, would you?"

"No, not at all.", Porter said as he unstrapped Aeris and carried her bridal style.

As they made to leave, Jack paused and asked, "Hey... what did you do with the Splicer?"

Porter was silent for a moment before saying, "He's in the van. He'll stink, but you can't exactly give a person a decent burial in the sewer."

Jack shrugged, "Fair enough. Now come on... I never want to see this place again... and my daughters must be hating me right now..."

Porter chuckled, and with that, they left.

The first thing that Leo heard upon waking up was, "Is he going to be okay?", in a very familiar voice. Of course, it didn't register right away as to who's voice it was, but all he knew was that it was someone very close and very dear to him. But then the gears started to turn. The name came to him. "Aeris..."

"Leo!", someone screamed before he felt lips upon his own. He was fully awake at this point, and was returning her kisses in full force, happy to oblige in her want of affection. When they parted, they immediately hugged, and she said, "Leo... I thought we would never see each other like this again..."

"Aeris...", Leo said quietly, "What even happened... all I remember was that shot... and then we were here..."

"...It doesn't matter.", she said, "It just doesn't matter. We're together, and that's all that does matter."

"Yeah...", he agreed, "That is all that matters..."

There was silence for quite some time, before someone with a thick German accent said, "Well... I suppose that answers your question, Miss Aeris?"

Aeris chuckled, "Yeah... sorry about that, Dr. Tenenbaum."

"It's quite alright.", she said sincerely, "Please, enjoy yourselves. I'll be outside."

There was the sound of a door shutting, and with that, enjoy themselves they did...

"So, that's what happened?", Aeris' father asked, "You were kidnapped so that you could be used in an experiment to help take over the entire world?"

"What? Is that so hard to believe, especially considering the guys that rescued us are right behind us?", Leo said, pointing to Jack and Porter, who waved awkwardly at the gathered families.

"Well, I believe them.", Leo's mother said, "You two are welcome in our home at any time."

"Same.", said Aeris' mother in sheer gratitude, "Anything you want, we can give!"

Jack chuckled awkwardly and said, "Erm... well, would you mind giving me a ride up town then? I was supposed to show up at my daughter's wedding a few days back..."

Leo's dad readily took it upon himself to give the favor and said, "Follow me then! To the car!"

Jack laughed a actual laugh before following Leo's father. But before he left, he turned back and said, "I'll be seeing you two later.", and followed the top hatted cat outside and to the car.

There was a slight awkward silence as Porter stood up and said, "I think I should go as well. I've intruded long enough."

"Where will you go though?", Leo asked, genuinely concerned for the man.

"Tenenbaum is going to give me shelter until I can get onto my feet.", he said with a small smile, "You won't be seeing me on the street selling boxes of rocks anytime soon."

At this, Leo and Aeris laughed slightly before they all said goodbye. Porter then left without another word.

Taking the opportunity to speak now that Porter had left, Aeris' father said, "So... now that you're here, what's next?"

Leo and Aeris looked at each other for a moment. She then motioned to her father, before Leo gulped, and turned to him, saying shakily, "W-Well sir... we were... kinda hoping that we could... you know, still be together... a little more... you know, permanently."

Aeris' father gave him an impassive look and said flatly, "What are you implying?"

"U-Umm...", Leo muttered, trying to get words out. He would've kept on muttering had Aeris not nudged him hard in the ribs with her elbow, forcing him to say, "Marriage."

The mothers seemed a little interested in this prospect. The father, however, still looked blank. He then said, "Why would you want to... get married?"

"W-Well...", Leo said, "We... realized that we're not gonna be alive forever... and we've practically been living together like... forever, and we love each other so... we should get married. And we wanted to ask your permission."

Aeris' dad just kept on looking impassive, but after a while, he sighed and said, "Well... I knew this was going to happen eventually... what else can I say but yes?"

"You're saying yes!?", Leo said, completely surprised by this answer.

"See, I told you I wouldn't.", Aeris said, rolling her eyes.

Leo looked to his fiance incredulously, "But it's your dad! He's... like that."

"But he said yes.", Aeris scolded, "Don't make him change his mind."

Leo was about to respond before Aeris' father cleared his throat and said, "Listen to her. She knows what's she's talking about."

Leo chuckled slightly and said, "Uhh... sorry. So... we're getting married!"

Months later, things were looking great. Leo and Aeris found steady and well paying work, and wedding plans were going off without a hitch. But as they were formulating a guest list, something hit Leo, "Hey, have you seen Pantsman, Ternaldo, or Krug?"

"Nope.", Aeris said simply.

Leo was silent before shrugging and saying, "Eh, they're fine."

Elsewhere, somewhere on the frozen tundra of Alaska...

"I think you overshot Ottawa by just a smidge...", Pantsman said angrily to Schwartzen-Cop while the other two munched happily on burgers.

"Yeah, but we have hamburgers, don't we?", the crazy cop responded, biting into his own burger.

Pantsman thought about it for a moment, then said, "Yeah, that is true..."

But back in Toronto, Leo and Aeris' trials had long since passed. Everything was going to be okay.


End file.
